Barcelona needs its leaders to make the Champions League dream come true: Hansi Flick

Barcelona needs leaders on the pitch if it is to realize coach Hansi Flick’s dream of winning the Champions League, the German said on Tuesday.

The 61-year-old was speaking a week after his Champions League dream was shattered for the second successive season – this time ousted in the quarter-finals by La Liga rivals Atletico Madrid.

Flick – whose side played Inter Milan in the semi-finals last season – guided Barcelona to the domestic double last season, and his players are on course to retain their league title as they sit nine points clear of Real Madrid with seven games to play.

“It’s not an excuse, but at the business end of the season in March and April it is very important to have all the players available,” he said at his press conference on the eve of their league match against Celta Vigo.

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«Against Atletico we missed Frenkie (de Jong) and Raphinha. Last year we had Inigo (Martinez), who was a great leader. We need these types of players, who are able to provide leadership on the pitch, to speak out during matches, in the quarter-finals or semi-finals of the Champions League, and to show the way,» Flick added.

Flick added that the team, which was largely made up of players who came through the club’s youth system, was «young» and had to «learn» from every defeat to progress.

«I believe we can do it. We have a fantastic team for the coming years and you have to make the right decisions, especially in the transfer market,» he said.

Flick would not comment further on the type of striker Barcelona wants to recruit, nor on his future, even as he hopes his “contract will be extended” in what he reiterated would be his “last job”.

Published on April 21, 2026