Barcelona, Hansi Flick Agree to 2-Year Contract to Replace Xavi Hernández as Manager

Barcelona have found their new manager.

The La Liga club announced Wednesday that it has hired former Bayern Munich and Germany coach Hansi Flick on a two-year contract to fill the vacated spot after firing Xavi Hernández.

Xavi exited with a victory in his final game, a 2-1 win over Sevilla on Sunday.

"It is a big honour and a dream to sign the contract with this amazing club," Flick said, per Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens of ESPN. "The hours I have been here in Barcelona have been amazing. Everyone here loves this club and gives their best to have success.

"The philosophy is similar to mine: ball possession and really attacking football, which are things I love. Barcelona also have one of the best academies in the world and a good mix between experience and young talent. It's our job now to work together and to improve them. For me, the team work is really important.

"I won titles with Bayern. My hunger for titles is really big and I would like to stay on this path with Barcelona. We can achieve a lot together."

Barcelona's announcement highlighted Flick's preference for a "high pressing, intense and daring style of play," and he has a long track record of success across various levels.

He started coaching as a player-coach for FC Victoria Bammental in 1996 and also counts stops with Hoffenheim and RB Salzburg on his resume. Yet he is best known at the club level for his time at Bayern Munich, which started when he was an assistant in the summer of 2019.

However, Bayern moved on from head coach Nico Kovac shortly after that, and Flick took over in an interim role before being given the full-time job. He established himself by winning 22 of his first 25 contests and then carved out his place in club history by winning a treble of titles in the Bundesliga, the German Cup and the Champions League.

Bayern Munich also won the German Super Cup, the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup.

Following his success with the club, Flick took over as the head coach of the German national team. He did not find as much success there and ended up losing in the group stage of the 2022 World Cup.

Next up is Barcelona, which he will be taking over after some turmoil near the end of Xavi's tenure. The head coach first announced he would step down in January but then decided he would remain in the position until his contract ended in 2025.

However, club president Joan Laporta eventually decided to fire him. Marsden and Llorens reported "remarks made by Xavi about the club's difficult financial position did not go down well with Laporta."

They also reported the club president has been interested in Flick for some time, and he was able to land the coach.

Barcelona will be looking to bounce back from a trophy-less season when they finished second in the league and then lost in the Champions League and Copa del Rey in the quarterfinals.