What an expected journey this season has been for Barcelona.
If you would have suggested this was possible a year ago when Hansi Flick was hired, I would have said you’re dreaming. The manager made the impossible look easy.
All of the panic surrounding the club about how long it was going to take to get back to being the best. In fact, it was that pessimistic attitude that in some ways cost both Ronald Koeman and Xavi their jobs.
On paper, Barcelona shouldn’t be here.
RCD Espanyol de Barcelona v FC Barcelona - La Liga EA Sports Photo by Omar Arnau/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images
Financially, they’re still recovering. In terms of personnel, they made the run for the Spanish title with a roster full of academy players, several of whom are still teenagers. Who needs the market when you have La Masia?
Hansi Flick seemed to always know something the rest of us did not. A secret insight about what it takes to become a champion.
He looked at the players he inherited, and did a quick evaluation of the youth coming through the pipeline, and said, I have more than enough.
From there, he went to work teaching the talented how to work hard, be accountable, and keep their egos at the door.
RCD Espanyol de Barcelona v FC Barcelona - La Liga EA Sports Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images
Barcelona are La Liga, Copa del Rey, and Supercopa champions because of their professionalism above all else.
Never too high, never too low. Always focused on the mission at hand.
Calm, collected, and confident.
That’s how they produced so many unlikely comebacks. That’s how they made it the distance through a grueling calendar, overcoming injury setbacks, and getting back on the rails after a poor run of form to end the year.
Flick always believed in his players, and he inspired them to believe in themselves too. It didn’t take long for them to believe in their manager too.
Espanyol v Barcelona - La Liga Photo by Jose Breton/Anadolu via Getty Images
And that’s saying something when you consider the way he asked them to play.
This Barcelona team flirted with danger and took risks that made outsiders call them crazy.
Stick with it, you can do it, in fact you are doing it, the manager insisted game after game. The tactics would sometimes come at the cost. No one said it would be easy. But in that sink or swim environment, Barcelona learned that the hard way was the right way.
If you gave up a goal playing this way, you were responsible, and had no one else to blame.
The coordination required to play the offside trap could always be improved. And it did. Your job is to score more goals than your opponent. And when it mattered most, they did.
RCD Espanyol de Barcelona v FC Barcelona - La Liga EA Sports Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images
Of course, the exception was the heartbreaking Champions League semifinal against Inter Milan when the Blaugrana ran out of gas. And perhaps, in that moment, they were also naive, and could have done more to pragmatically see out the win.
Against Espanyol, however, with the La Liga title on the line, you saw a glimpse of a team that was already maturing and learning their lesson. Using possession to kill off the game in a very hostile atmosphere, and even doing the unthinkable of taking the ball to the corner, instead of going for goal.
Barcelona 2024/2025 should be remembered as the perfect champions.
RCD Espanyol de Barcelona v FC Barcelona - La Liga EA Sports Photo by Omar Arnau/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images
They played with style, creativity, and fun. In other words, the qualities that give the beautiful game its name.
But also because they carried themselves as true professionals. They never let their emotions get the best of them. They were zen masters. And perhaps that was the ultimate X factor that explains the history they were able to make.
For that, they have Hansi Flick to thank, who led by example.
Because of that, we have every reason to believe that this is just the beginning of an exciting new era for FC Barcelona.
RCD Espanyol de Barcelona v FC Barcelona - La Liga EA Sports Photo by Omar Arnau/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images
The Barca players deserve a big celebration, and then, let the summer be quiet.
The foundation is set, there’s no reason to make noise. All they need now is some rest, and then it’s back to work.
The path to becoming a champion isn’t so complicated after all.
Flick’s Barcelona just made it look easy.