Madrid, May 18 (IANS) FC Barcelona confirmed on Monday that head coach Hansi Flick has signed a contract extension until at least June 2028. The announcement came after Flick revealed during a press conference ahead of last week’s La Liga trip to Alaves that he had agreed to a new deal.

“FC Barcelona and Hansi Flick have reached an agreement to extend his contract, tying him to the club until June 30, 2028, with the option for an additional season,” read a club statement.

The extension means the 61-year-old could spend five years in charge of the club, although Flick has not ruled out staying even longer if both sides remain satisfied, reports Xinhua.

The former Bayern Munich and Germany coach arrived at Barcelona in July 2024 to replace Xavi Hernandez. In his first season, he guided the club to the Spanish Super Cup, La Liga, and the Copa del Rey.

Barcelona followed that by winning another Spanish Super Cup and retaining the league title this season, finishing 11 points ahead of Real Madrid with one game remaining.

Flick’s success has come despite Barcelona spending two seasons playing at the city’s unpopular Olympic Stadium while Camp Nou underwent redevelopment work.

One of Flick’s biggest achievements has been integrating youth players into the first team, with Pau Cubarsi, Lamine Yamal, and Marc Bernal all becoming key figures during a period in which Barcelona has faced transfer and wage restrictions because of its financial situation.

In total, Flick has handed first-team debuts to 13 academy players over the past two years.

The German has now turned his attention to winning the Champions League after Barcelona lost to Inter Milan in the semifinals last season, and was eliminated by Atletico Madrid in this year’s quarterfinals.

Born in Heidelberg in what was then West Germany on February 24, 1965, Flick started his managerial career with Victoria Bammental (1996–2000), TSG Hoffenheim (2000–2005), Bayern Munich (2019–2021), before taking over Barcelona in 2024. He also coached the German national team from 2021 to 2023.

–IANS

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