Andreas Christensen makes long-awaited Barcelona comeback in Champions League win

Andreas Christensen took an important step in putting his injury troubles behind him by completing 90 minutes for Barcelona in their 5-1 Champions League victory over Feyenoord at Spotify Camp Nou.

The Denmark centre-back started Barcelona’s opening European fixture and, in a single game, played more minutes than he managed throughout the whole of last season’s competition. During the 2025-2026 Champions League campaign, Christensen made four appearances totalling 77 minutes.

His situation has changed significantly this season. Christensen completed Barcelona’s entire pre-season and started two of their first three La Liga matches, against Elche and Rayo Vallecano, playing 90 minutes in both. He then featured for just over half an hour against Valencia at Mestalla before returning to the starting line-up for the beginning of the club’s European campaign.

The 30-year-old’s progress is particularly significant because of the injury that disrupted his previous season. On 21 December 2025, he suffered a partial tear to the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during training.

That problem kept him out for 158 days. He eventually returned on 23 May in the final round of La Liga, appearing against Valencia at Mestalla.

Before his injury, Christensen’s involvement in European competition had been limited. He played 30 minutes against Newcastle, eight minutes against Paris Saint-Germain, 33 minutes against Chelsea and only six minutes against Eintracht Frankfurt. Those appearances amounted to 77 minutes across four matches, with none of them coming as a starter.

The injury ended a season in which the centre-back had been unable to establish any consistency. His comeback came in the closing stages of the campaign, when he played 35 minutes at Mestalla after more than five months without a competitive appearance.

Christensen has now completed a pre-season without another setback and has begun the new campaign with a significant number of minutes. Barcelona manager Hansi Flick considers him a dependable option in central defence, a role that could prove important during a season featuring a demanding schedule.

Christensen is in his fifth season with Barcelona. The club announced in July that his contract had been extended until 2028.

His appearance against Feyenoord therefore represented more than a routine Champions League outing. After physical problems had prevented him from building momentum for much of last season, Christensen completed a full 90 minutes in Europe’s leading club competition. He did so as a starter, while Barcelona began their Champions League campaign with a commanding 5-1 win.