Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has admitted that winning the Champions League is still a dream for his team after they were knocked out in the quarter finals by Atletico Madrid.
Barca have lifted the famous trophy five times but have not won it since 2015.
Despite an emphatic 2-1 victory on the night at the Metropolitano, the Catalan giants fell 3-2 on aggregate. Speaking to the media after the final whistle, a visibly disappointed Flick reflected on what could have been, citing the lack of luck and impact of playing with 10 men following Eric García’s red card.
“I really appreciated what I saw.” ✅
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick on his side from the Champions League
– Football on TNT Sports (@footballantnt) April 14, 2026
“We deserved to go to the semi-finals”
Flick was full of praise for his players’ efforts, especially their explosive start which saw them level on aggregate after 25 minutes.
Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres scored the first goals as Barcelona fought back from 2-0 down.
But Flick could not hide his frustration at his side’s poor performance, including a disallowed Torres goal in the second half.
“We played a very good game and played with one player a little bit. Thank you very much, but we were not lucky,” said Flick. Movistar Plus+.
“It was like that and we have to accept it, mentally and physically, the team gave everything, they did an excellent job but we didn’t achieve it.
“I think we deserved to go to the semi-finals, but we have to accept the result. We played evenly and I’m proud of my players.”
Champions League dream
When asked what Barcelona need to do to finally reach the pinnacle of European football again, Flick pointed to the youth of his squad while acknowledging the weight of the competition.
“Everybody’s disappointed, and I’m sure the fans are disappointed too,” Flick admitted. “Everyone is disappointed because winning the Champions League is a dream, we are a team that is still growing, there are things we have to fix and we will do it next season.”
Focus on the home crown
With the European tour over, Flick quickly turned his attention to La Liga, where Barcelona currently hold a nine-point lead at the top of the table. The potentially title-deciding Clásico against Real Madrid will be huge on the margins.
“The next step is to win the league, we are on that path. It is not finished yet. We have to play together, have a team [strong] mind,” he says.
“Now, the League. For me, it doesn’t matter when we win it. The important thing is to win it. We can focus on La Liga now. It’s difficult… but we have to accept it.”
Flick also notably refused to get into a war of words about the manager, despite Barça playing the final leg of both legs with 10 men. “I don’t want to talk about that, because we won’t change it,” he stressed. “Good for you [the press] when I talk about it, but I just don’t want to.”
