Barcelona secures its second consecutive La Liga title under Hansi Flick, dominating the campaign with commanding numbers while a directionless Real Madrid crumbles, decisively defeated in the final Clásico. Madrid started with Xabi Alonso and will finish with an already sentenced Arbeloa and a fractured dressing room.
Hansi Flick admitted on April 21 that he still has two major dreams left at Barcelona: winning the Champions League and being the manager when the Spotify Camp Nou is fully completed. For now, he has already delivered two league titles and thrown Madrid into disarray. Since the German’s arrival, Los Blancos have gone through three coaches: Ancelotti, Xabi Alonso, and a more than doomed Arbeloa. Beyond trophies, Flick has made Barcelona one of the most entertaining teams to watch, reignited the identity of the Blaugrana faithful, and left Madrid completely lost.
Xabi Alonso – once seen as Madrid’s great future bet – is already history, while Barcelona celebrates its second straight league crown. The Catalan side achieved the hardest feat: winning after winning. To do so, Flick was even more hands-on than in his debut season. On September 1, the German saw something he didn’t like and left one of the most memorable quotes: “Last season we played and worked as a team, and the most important thing is that there are no egos, because egos kill the team’s success.”
A 1-1 draw at Vallecas frustrated Flick, but it wasn’t the result that worried him – it was the fear that the sense of team unity from last season was slipping away.
Looking for leaders
His words drew plenty of attention, but this wasn’t the only strong message from the coach during the season. On February 21, amid a crisis of results, he called for more leadership. “Everyone is convinced about what we are doing. These are not easy moments, but communication is vital. We have been honest and open. I ask them questions – that’s how I work and manage. It’s important because we need leaders. You always have to communicate at the same level; later I will make decisions. I want the players to take responsibility, and they are doing so.”
He revisited this narrative after the team’s Champions League elimination at the hands of Atlético. “It’s not all about talking and saying two meters to the right or two to the left,” he explained graphically, “but about talking more, having mature players capable of showing the path we need to follow on the pitch.” That day, Flick held up Iñigo Martínez as an example – the leader the team missed most this season.
Two major streaks
Barcelona built this league title around two major winning streaks. The first came between matchdays 11 and 19, with nine consecutive triumphs – from a 3-1 win over Elche to a 0-2 victory at Espanyol. The second, an eleven-game winning run, occurred between matchdays 25 and 35, from a 3-0 win against Levante to the Clásico victory over Real Madrid.
The contrast with Real Madrid also explains the championship’s evolution. On October 26, 2025, after losing the Clásico 2-1 on matchday 10, Barcelona found itself five points behind Madrid – its biggest deficit of the season. However, the trend reversed over subsequent matchdays, reaching its maximum lead of 14 points this Saturday following the Clásico win.
Barcelona’s title cannot be understood without its ruthlessness in both penalty areas. In goal, the team gained reliability with the signing of Joan Garcia, who conceded only 20 goals in 29 matches (0.68 average) and kept 15 clean sheets – numbers reflecting consistency and security. The former Espanyol goalkeeper proved a game-changer. Joan displayed the same reflexes he showed last season but especially stood out for his ability to anticipate situations.
