Barcelona hire Germany's Hansi Flick as their new head coach

ANKARA

Former Germany and Bayern Munich head coach Hansi Flick joined Spanish football powerhouse Barcelona on Wednesday.

"FC Barcelona and Hansi Flick have reached an agreement for the German to become men’s first team football coach until 30 June 2026," the club statement read.

Last week, Barcelona fired Spanish head coach Xavi Hernandez.

Flick, 59, was the Bayern Munich boss when the German club won the 2020 UEFA Champions League title. He also led Bayern Munich to back-to-back German Bundesliga success in 2020 and 2021, and won the German Cup in 2020.

Separately, Barcelona's Polish star Robert Lewandowski has played under Flick at Bayern Munich for two seasons. Lewandowski was one of the key players for Bayern's success.

Before his time with Bayern Munich, Flick was assistant to head coach Joachim Low when the German national team secured the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

Then, he coached Germany in 2021-2023 but Flick's men had a group-stage exit at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Flick was dismissed after Germany were thrashed 4-1 by Japan in a 2023 friendly.