Hansi Flick guided Barcelona to their 29th La Liga title on Sunday night, watching as Marcus Rashford and Ferran Torres put Real Madrid to the sword in a 2-0 El Clasico victory – all while bearing the weight of his father’s death, which he had learned about that morning.
Rashford’s free-kick found the top corner in the ninth minute, Torres doubled the lead nine minutes later, and Barcelona ended Spain’s back-to-back run by opening a 14-point lead with three games to play.
Before the start of the game, players from both clubs wore black armbands in honor of Flick’s father. There was silence for a minute. Then Barcelona came out and gave their manager an evening he will remember for the rest of his life.
“It was a tough day,” Flick said in his postgame press conference. “It started in the morning again, I will never forget this day. This morning, my mother called me and said that my father died. So I’m thinking: Should I hide or talk to my team? Because for me, it’s like a family.
“And I said, ‘Okay, I want to get information from the players as well.’ And what they did was unbelievable. I will never forget this moment. I want to thank everyone, thank you for everything, thank you for really fighting. I really appreciate everything. This is like a family.
“I’ve never felt so much love like today. It’s amazing.”
His players celebrated both goals by running to hug him. At full time, they threw him in the air.
Rashford: ‘If I was a magician, I would stay’
The night also belonged to Marcus Rashford, who scored the opening goal in the style of a man who made the best case for his future at the club.
Torres was cut down on the right edge of the area by Antonio Rudiger. Rashford placed the ball, looked up, and curled a stunning effort over the wall and into the far top corner. It was the first free-kick scored by a Barcelona player against Real Madrid since Lionel Messi in October 2012.
His loan deal from Manchester United expires this summer. Barcelona hold a €30 million purchase option. Rashford’s response when asked about his future after that left little doubt about where he wants to be.
“I don’t know, I’m not a magician, but if I were, I would stay and see.
He also talked about the free-kick itself, admitting that he was not sure if he would shoot.
“No, I wouldn’t shoot. I wouldn’t shoot then… because when I put the ball down I didn’t see the angles. I didn’t feel confident that it was going to be a goal, I was going to cross. But then everyone told me to shoot and then I picked myself up a bit. It was good that I shot at the end as it was a good goal.”
The 28-year-old becomes the first Englishman to win a title in Spain’s top flight in 41 years. He has scored 14 goals and registered 14 assists since joining on loan last summer, and while Manchester United have made it clear they have no intention of bringing him back to their club.
When he was in the squad, Rashford added: “It’s really good. I’m coming here to win. So this – I want to win as many things as I can. So, this can add to this. Yes, this team is a very good team. They’re going to win more and more. So, to be a part of that would be special. So we’ll see.”
Pedri: ‘We wanted to do it for Flick’
Pedri, who was voted as the best player in the game, was also clear about the motivation of the Barcelona game. The Spanish international looked to be in control of the game in his usual style and set up Torres’ second goal alongside Dani Olmo’s assist at the back.
“This feels like an honor, we wanted to win it in the El Clasico in history. We played a great game and now we have to celebrate it, which you don’t get every day. We wanted to do it for Flick, for everything he gave us and the losses he had.”
Gavi also spoke after the final whistle, talking about his exchange on the pitch with Real Madrid captain Vinicius Junior, with whom he clashed several times during the match.
“I told Vinicius to shut up. I’m a hot-headed player, so is he. But what happens on the field stays on the field. Football.”
De Jong, who replaced him in the second half, spoke with one eye firmly on the future.
“All titles are special, this is one more because we win at home against Madrid.” Hansi is very important, has clear ideas and gives us a lot of freedom to show our quality.
“Every title you win should be celebrated in style, especially La Liga. Of course we want to win the Champions League, that is the goal and next year we will have a new opportunity.”
100 points and Champions League ambitions next season
Flick, on the other hand, was quick to look forward even in the midst of the evening’s emotions. Barcelona can still finish the season with 100 points if they win their remaining three games against Alaves, Real Betis and Valencia – a feat only Real Madrid in 2012 and Barcelona in 2013 have achieved before.
“We want to reach 100 points. It’s still possible. This is the next goal. We want to give more to this club. We want to reach the next level. And I know that everyone in Barcelona wants to win the Champions League. I hope we can reach this goal. This is what I always want, to fight for your dreams. I think we have many dreams. This is good for next season.”
At Real Madrid, the misery continues. It is guaranteed a second consecutive season without a major trophy. Jude Bellingham had a goal ruled out for offside in the second half as a frustrated cameo summed up a poor campaign.
Manager Alvaro Arbeloa, who is expected to be replaced this summer, congratulated Barcelona and said his team will learn from what happened. Jose Mourinho continues to be linked with a return to the Bernabeu.
