Hansi Flick: Barcelona ‘dream’ of winning Champions League before 2029 final

Hansi Flick says Barcelona’s ambition is to win the Champions League before the competition’s 2029 final is held at the rebuilt Spotify Camp Nou.

Barcelona manager Flick was speaking ahead of Wednesday’s La Liga match against Racing Santander, which will be played during the sixth round of the competition.

Asked how he was managing his squad after the international break, Flick said some factors were beyond his control.

“These are things I cannot change,” he said, according to Spanish newspaper Marca. “They put everything together after a long World Cup, and that was necessary, but for the club it was not the best option. We have to be honest and accept the situation. They made this decision and we have to accept it.”

The choice of Spotify Camp Nou as the venue for the 2029 Champions League final was welcomed by Flick, who said Barcelona wanted to achieve European success before then.

“Our dream is to win the Champions League before that date,” he said. “They told us the news and it is good news for the club. When this stadium is fully rebuilt, it will be amazing.”

Asked whether he expected to be in charge of Barcelona for the final, Flick said he would be present in some capacity.

“I will definitely be there 100%, either as a coach or as a supporter, and we will see what happens,” he said. “Nobody knows what may happen in the future and in football anything is possible. At the moment I am enjoying being in Barcelona and coaching the team, but nobody knows what will happen.”

Flick also expanded on his comment from last year that “ego kills success”. He said the team’s priority was to focus on the work required each day rather than on the trophies that might follow.

“We are completely focused,” he said. “You cannot win titles today; you can only achieve them when the time comes. That is our mentality. At the moment, the effort we make every day is in our hands and the results will come later.

“We are focused on that, and everyone knows that if you win the Ballon d’Or or collective trophies, the collective trophies are more important to me.”

On Gavi’s situation, Flick said every member of the squad remained important, while praising the midfielder’s attitude in training.

“All the players are important to us. Every player in the squad is extremely important and we need everyone,” he said. “Gavi has great ambition and always wants to play. He featured in the first match, then suffered an injury and came back afterwards.

“The team is doing well at the moment, but we need everyone. The most important thing is that everyone understands we need them and remains positive. He is training well, and that is what I want to see from him.”

Barcelona are aiming for a seventh consecutive victory, but Flick insisted their attention was limited to the meeting with Racing Santander.

“We want to win matches and get victory in every game, but we are thinking about nothing other than tomorrow’s match,” he said. “It is an important home game against an opponent who are performing very well.

“It is impressive to see how they play and the courage they show. They always attack through the middle and in the spaces. It will not be an easy match and everyone must be fully focused to show that we are the best.”