Andreas Christensen's umpteenth injury led to an unexpected move in Barça's winter market. Hansi Flick was short of a center-back, and with the Blaugrana entity limited in its movements because it was – and continues to be – exceeding the salary limit, the Dane's long-term absence opened up the possibility of strengthening. The options that had Hansi Flick's approval were limited, but Jorge Mendes, always well-connected with Deco – he was his agent when he was a footballer – and with Joan Laporta – they maintain a close relationship –, facilitated a solution: João Cancelo. For the super-agent it was a win-win: he continued to offer solutions to Barça and, at the same time, brought his client out of obscurity, who had declared himself in rebellion in Saudi Arabia and longed to return to Barcelona, where he had already played on loan for the Blaugrana in the 2023-24 season.

Barça put in the heart and football, but a cowardly Atlético de Madrid knew how to get oil from their visit to the Camp Nou (0-2). With two goals in barely three shots on target, the Colchoneros punished a blaugrana team that had to play the entire second half with one less player due to Pau Cubarsí's expulsion in the 43rd minute. The fans flocked to the stadium en masse, hopeful and excited about a group of players who have often made them happy with comebacks and thrashings, but this time the outcome was very cruel.

After losing in Mallorca (2-1) on Saturday and practically saying goodbye to the League with Barça seven points ahead with eight matchdays left in the championship, Bayern Munich deepened the wound by storming the Santiago Bernabéu (1-2) in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals. Luis Díaz, in the 41st minute, and Harry Kane, right at the start of the second half, were the goalscorers for the team led by Vincent Kompany, who failed to smell blood and allowed a team relying on Kylian Mbappé's inspiration, the scorer of the white goal, to leave alive.

After losing in Mallorca (2-1) on Saturday and practically saying goodbye to La Liga with Barça seven points behind with eight matchdays left in the championship, Bayern Munich deepened the wound by storming the Santiago Bernabéu (1-2) in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals. Luis Díaz, in the 41st minute, and Harry Kane, right at the start of the second half, were the goalscorers for the team managed by Vincent Kompany, who failed to seize the opportunity and let a team relying on the inspiration of Kylian Mbappé, scorer of the white goal, leave alive.

After the departure of Iñigo Martínez, Hansi Flick lost much more than a starter and a fundamental piece for his footballing idea: he was left without a left-footed centre-back. The absence of the defender from Ondarroa was particularly noticeable in the first part of the season, when the team left many doubts in defence. Pau Cubarsí, who began to establish himself with Xavi Hernández and was confirmed as an undisputed starter with Hansi Flick, was one of the first to notice it: forced to change his profile in the centre, it was not the same to have Iñigo Martínez as Ronald Araujo as his dancing partner. Finally, the solution the German coach ended up finding was to convert Gerard Martín into a centre-back. The experiment, previously tested in training, was transferred for the first time to a match on November 22nd, which coincided with the return to Camp Nou and ended with a resounding and comfortable 4-0 victory over Athletic Club.

"I know that [the chants] were directed at the opposing team [Egypt], but as a Muslim person, it is still a lack of respect and something intolerable [...]. To those who sing these things: using religion as a mockery leaves you as ignorant and racist people," published the Barça star and pillar of Luis de la Fuente's team on his social media on Wednesday. On Tuesday, after the match against Egypt and the globally shameful scene that occurred in the confrontation against the North African team, the footballer left the Espanyol stadium with his head down and without greeting the local fans. Afterwards, he passed through the mixed zone hastily, absorbed, looking at his mobile phone, barely wanting to look up to see the press who were interviewing some of his teammates. Lamine Yamal was restless.

Without flair, but with a goal from a set piece. Without sparkle, but with pragmatism (and survival). Barça had enough with a good spell of attacking intent in the first half and the saves of their goalkeeping treasure, Joan Garcia, to overcome (1-0) a Rayo Vallecano side that showed more energy than the Blaugrana. Hansi Flick's men made the most of Ronald Araujo's goal from a corner to secure the three points with nine matchdays remaining in La Liga, thus adding pressure to Real Madrid, who host Atlético de Madrid tonight (9 pm).

The scandalous 7-2 thrashing of Newcastle, with four goals in just 20 minutes of the second half, exemplifies the intensity of Hansi Flick's Barça. In just a season and a half at Barcelona, ​​the German coach has provided the team with historic goalscoring records: in 105 matches on the Barça bench, his team has scored 303 goals. Incredible. To put it in perspective, Pep Guardiola's Barça managed 250 goals in 104 matches. Despite the doubts surrounding the team this season, the Barça squad maintains its offensive output. After the defeat at Montilivi (2-1) a month ago, the German coach emphasized the need to improve their finishing. In fact, Barça this season created more chances than last season, but were less clinical in front of goal. Since that defeat against Girona that sowed doubts, Barça has turned things around completely. A key factor has been the Camp Nou. Since returning to the stadium in November, the team has won every match. And not only that, they've been racking up wins. Thirteen wins in thirteen matches, with 46 goals scored: an average of more than three goals per game. The thrashing of Newcastle also allowed Robert Lewandowski to rediscover his scoring touch and break new records in his long and prolific career in front of goal. With his brace, the Polish striker surpasses Lionel Messi as the player who has scored against the most different opponents in the Champions League, with 41. "He told me he had the energy to keep trying. He has a lot of experience and is one of the best strikers for matches like this. I'm very happy with his brace," Flick said after the match.

Xavi Espart is the latest in a list of debutants from the prolific 2007 generation that has all of Barcelona excited. Some players seem to have been blessed with talent from a young age: coaches and fans alike agree that, barring any setbacks during their development, they will go on to have professional careers. This would be the case, for example, with exceptional talents like Lamine Yamal. Others are making their way through the youth ranks, more discreetly, but with perseverance and consistency until they reach their long-awaited moment: their debut. Xavi Espart belongs to this second group of players, and his debut in the top flight was a resounding success: in the imposing setting of St. James' Park.

A comfortable match for Barça on the day it was decided who would be the new president of the organization. Everything went right for Hansi Flick's men, who, despite playing without Lamine Yamal, were comfortably in control at halftime and ended up winning 5-2 against a Sevilla side that never posed a threat at the Camp Nou, which was celebrating the opening of the North Stand. Raphinha, with a hat trickHe rediscovered his brilliance when it was most needed; Xavi Espart made his first start; Gavi felt like a footballer again after more than 200 days and donned the captain's armband in another victory for the league leaders.

"The members vote to decide who will represent them, and that's unique in the world. It's a wonderful thing about our club. Thank you, Barça," said Joan Laporta after being declared the winner of the club's presidential elections. Barça members renewed their confidence in Laporta. The leader of Defensem el Barça (Defend Barça) obtained 68.18% of the votes, defeating Víctor Font, who fell short with 29.78% of the vote. In absolute terms, Laporta garnered 32,934 votes, while Font received 14,385. Blank votes represented 2.04% of the total. After a whirlwind campaign of just one month, Barça fans opted for Laporta's continuity model, who in recent weeks has focused his entire discourse on explaining how he has led the club's economic recovery over the last five years. Font's proposals, therefore, were not enough to convince the members, and the plebiscite he so fervently called for ended up turning its back on the "change" spearheaded by the Nosotros (Us) movement. Laporta will begin his third term at the helm of the institution.

Joan Laporta began his second stint as Barça president by leading an expedition to Paris in search of a quixotic comeback in the Champions League – the Blaugrana had fallen 1-4 against PSG in the first leg of the round of 16 – with a team still captained by Lionel Messi and featuring Ronaldo. Messi ended up leaving in the summer in tears and has become one of the defining figures of the season, especially due to the crossfire between Xavi Hernández and Laporta, while Ronaldo extended his tenure as coach only to ultimately depart unceremoniously. Like Xavi, his successor also left at odds with the former president before Hansi Flick's arrival. While among the major low points of Laporta's second term were disagreements with club legends like Messi, Koeman, and Xavi, his greatest success lies in the signing of the German coach.

Carles Planchart (Arbúcies, 1965), Albert Puig (Cambrils, 1968), and Francesc Cos (Terrassa, 1965), all three with a history at Barça and extensive experience in the world of football, are Víctor Font's picks for the club's sporting director position. All three advocate for maximizing the potential of Hansi Flick's current squad, emphasizing that the club already has excellent professionals working there, but that "more professionalism" and "better communication and coordination between the three key areas" are needed: the transfer market, performance – which includes everything from medical services, physical conditioning and injury prevention to nutrition – and La Masia.

A last-gasp draw (1-1) for a lackluster Barça. And they'll have to turn things around in the return leg at Camp Nou on March 18. Here are some notes on the match between the English and Catalan sides.

"People have expected me to score 100 goals a season since I was 16; I'd like that too, but it's very difficult," Lamine Yamal said just a week ago, after scoring his first goal against Villarreal. hat trick as a Barcelona player in his third season with the first team. The winger from Rocafonda, who made the decisive goal in Barça's victory this Saturday at San Mamés, He's enjoying his best season in this regard: in the 2023-24 season he scored 7 goals in 50 matches; in 2024-25, 18 in 55 matches; and this season he has 19 in 36 matches. These figures make him the top scorer in the entire Barça squad, a statistic that speaks volumes about the Blaugrana star but, at the same time, highlights that the other forwards should improve in this area.

Joan Laporta cemented the 2021 campaign for the presidency of Barça in nostalgia. Now, at almost 64 years old and after a term with its ups and downs, he's running for reelection. If he wins the March 15th elections, he'll begin a third term and approach Josep Lluís Núñez's two decades in the Camp Nou presidential box. Despite the generation gap in a context heavily influenced by technology and social media, Laporta manages to resonate with many young people. They aren't always Barça voters, but they fuel the narrative favorable to the Barcelona lawyer. At ARA, we interviewed Barça fans between 20 and 40 years old with a strong Laporta sympathy. In their opinion, personality and charisma prevail over a management style often marked by opacity.

A Barcelona side that looked as hard-working as they were tired secured a valuable victory at the difficult San Mamés ground (0-1) thanks to a stunning goal from Lamine Yamal in the 68th minute. It wasn't the best performance from the Blaugrana, who paid the price for fatigue after the fierce battle against Atlético de Madrid. The 'Finlick's' team now have a four-point lead over Real Madrid at the top of the league.

The victory (3-0) against Atlético de Madrid, Despite not being enough to reach the Copa del Rey final in a tie also influenced by the refereeing, especially in the first leg, it leaves several positive messages that strengthen Hansi Flick's Barça. La Liga, where the team leads a Real Madrid side that has been struggling lately and is missing Kylian Mbappé, and the Champions League, in a run that could see them face Simeone's team again, are the two main focuses from now on.

Barça's heart beat until the very last minute, until the last contested ball, until the last breath of the last fan who, like all the players on their team, believed until the final whistle (3-0). Hansi Flick's players demonstrated unwavering faith, spurred on by more than 45,000 souls who accompanied them in a comeback attempt as quixotic as it was dreamt of. Marc Bernal, with a brace and a performance that cemented his status as a midfielder of the present and future, and Raphinha, after a penalty won by Pedri, who is already an integral part of the club's identity, fueled hopes that didn't translate into a ticket to the Copa del Rey final, but which are a testament to the immeasurable pride of a team. They couldn't overturn the 4-0 deficit from a disastrous first leg, but they did regain the confidence to walk with their heads held high until the end of the season.

Getafe, thanks to a stunning goal from Martín Satriano in the 39th minute, sent the Santiago Bernabéu into a frenzy, leaving the crowd both furious and resigned to another dismal performance from Real Madrid (0-1). The fans' faces throughout the second half were a picture of despair. Despite trailing and dominating possession, Real Madrid were a lackluster and ineffective side, unable to mount a comeback.