Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said on Wednesday that Xabi Alonso has a great future in football despite Real Madrid replacing him at the helm this week.
Flick’s Barcelona defeated Alonso’s Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final on Sunday, and a day later Los Blancos agreed a deal for the Basque coach to leave and appointed Alvaro Arbeloa.
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«We have to keep going, we have to think about what we can do better, but he is a fantastic coach and he also has a great future,» Flick told a news conference on Thursday ahead of Barcelona’s Copa del Rey last-16 match against Racing Santander.
Alonso, who won the Bundesliga unbeaten with Bayer Leverkusen in 2024, had less than eight months in charge of Madrid but Flick believes the former Liverpool and Bayern Munich player will soon play a major role again.
“This is football and it is none of my business, but what I can say is that I have a very good relationship with Xabi,” Flick explained.
«I met him at Leverkusen, when I was (German) national team coach, I always kept in touch with him. He is a fantastic coach. This is football, we have to accept these things. I wish him all the best and I think he will get a new one, a big project for him and his team.»
Flick confirmed that Barcelona’s new signing Joao Cancelo could feature against second division leaders Racing.
The coach said he hoped to capitalize on Cancelo’s attacking quality between now and the end of the season.
“Joao is a fantastic footballer, with a lot of quality in attack and this is what we need,” said Flick.
“If the opponent is (deep in his own territory) we have to (overcome him) and we need quality and he is a good option for that.”
Published on January 14, 2026
