Hansi Flick has sparked a revolution in his first season at FC Barcelona, with excitement around the German coach rising exponentially. Following the heroic win in the 2025 Copa del Rey final, Flick has now matched a milestone previously set by Pep Guardiola against Real Madrid.
After Xavi Hernández’s dismissal, Barcelona turned to Flick to lead the project amid a critical financial situation. Defying expectations set at the start of the campaign, the Catalan side has outperformed their longtime rivals — and Flick has now recorded a remarkable achievement against them.
With the victory in the Copa del Rey final, Hansi Flick became just the second Barcelona manager to win his first three official matches against Real Madrid. The first ever Barca coach to do so was Pep Guardiola, who coached Barcelona from 2008 to 2012.
Flick’s first win over Real Madrid came on Matchday 11 of La Liga, with a stunning 4-0 victory at the Santiago Bernabéu. The second arrived in the Spanish Super Cup final, where Barça triumphed 5-2, and now the 3-2 win in the Copa del Rey final has cemented Flick’s place alongside Guardiola in the record books.
For comparison, Guardiola extended his initial win streak against Real Madrid to five matches. It wasn’t until the sixth encounter that Madrid earned a 1-1 draw, and it was in the seventh meeting that Real Madrid defeated Guardiola’s Barcelona, winning the 2011 Copa del Rey final 1-0.
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Flick could mirror Guardiola’s historic first season
Flick has revitalized Barcelona to the point where a team built under tight financial restrictions is now competing for major honors on all fronts. As the 2024–25 season nears its end, Flick could achieve a feat remarkably similar to what Guardiola accomplished in his debut campaign.
After coaching Barcelona’s B team, Guardiola took over the senior side in 2008–09 and led the club to the historic “Triplete” (winning La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the UEFA Champions League). That season marked Barcelona as the first Spanish club — and just the fifth club in Europe — to achieve the treble.
Flick has already captured the Spanish Super Cup and now the Copa del Rey. With Barcelona leading La Liga by four points over Real Madrid and in the semifinals of the Champions League, the German coach has a real opportunity to replicate Guardiola’s legendary first season at the helm of the Blaugrana.
