For Hansi Flick, the victory in El Clásico was particularly emotional, and not just because it secured the title. The FC Barcelona coach had lost his father that morning—and was all the more grateful for his team’s reaction.
Only three times has a team had as many points after Matchday 35 as FC Barcelona has this season. Twice, it was the Catalans themselves (2010/11 and 2012/13); once, archrival Real Madrid reached the 91-point mark after 35 games (2011/12).
The fact that Barca clinched their 29th league title early on Sunday evening, of all places in El Clásico, was the culmination of a highly emotional day—for the Blaugrana, but above all for their head coach.
Just a few hours before kickoff, the club had announced that Hansi Flick’s father had passed away on Sunday morning. “FC Barcelona and the entire Blaugrana family would like to express our condolences to Hansi Flick on the death of his father. We share your grief and stand by you and your family during this difficult time,” the club statement read.
These were anything but empty words, as Flick explained late that evening—after an emotional moment of silence and the title win: “I’m going to tell you this because I don’t think it’s normal,” the 61-year-old began when the emotional topic came up during the press conference.
“This morning, my mother called me and told me that my father had passed away. I wondered whether I should keep it to myself or talk to my players about it,“ said Flick. Since his team is ”like a family“ to him, he ultimately wanted to ”share the news with the players as well.“ A decision Flick would not regret: ”The way they reacted was incredible. I will never forget that moment.”
Fourth Championship Title for Flick
In any case, he will “never forget” May 10, partly because it is “a great feeling” to “stand with the fans in a Clásico and beat Real Madrid.” You can “feel the connection we have—and that is the most important thing in soccer and in life,” the German explained.
For Flick personally, who won the national championship both last year with Barcelona and in the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons with FC Bayern, this is the fourth league title of his career as head coach. Did the last two seasons with Barca feel different than they had previously in Munich, for example? “As a coach, it’s never easy. You have to lead a team, you have to lead the players, and everyone has their own goals, too.“
For now, however, Flick and his team are looking ahead to three remaining matches, all of which must be won to achieve their immediate goal: ”We want to reach 100 points. It’s still possible, and that’s the next goal.”
