The redemption of a team they gave up for dead

Oslo“After receiving criticism all year, I hope they praise us a bit now that it’s our turn. We’re doing a great job”. That’s how emphatic Cata Coll was after winning the Champions League final in Oslo (4-0). Barça once again reached the pinnacle in Norway after a complicated season marked by criticism and doubts.

Pere Romeu's team —who was starting their second year at the helm of the project— kicked off the 2025-26 season with the bitter taste of defeat in Lisbon against Arsenal and the departure of players like Ingrid Engen, Fridolina Rolfö, or Jana Fernández, among others. The Catalan coach was heavily questioned during his first season. Good matches —like the tie against Chelsea in the semifinals— were interspersed with other encounters where the team's best version was still far off.

A short, but guaranteed template

The focus was also on the squad. Three significant departures and only one signing, Laia Aleixandri, forced two players from the reserves, Clara Serrajordi and Aïcha Camara, to be promoted to complete a short squad, but one with guarantees to face another demanding season at the elite. Doubts about whether the team would manage to compete in the Champions League were present from the very beginning, but Barça made the first statement of intent right from the start, with a 7-1 thrashing against Bayern Munich, who ended up being semi-finalists of the competition.

Injuries have also not helped over these months. Aitana Bonmatí and Laia Aleixandri have missed half a season due to long-term injuries. The midfielder from Sant Pere de Ribes returned in the second leg of the Champions League semi-finals at Camp Nou after five months out, while Aleixandri tore her cruciate ligament last February at the Alfredo di Stéfano stadium. Patri Guijarro and Salma Paralluelo have also spent three months away from the pitch, while Mapi León missed two months of competition.

“The motivation of this team is not occasional, it is constant because during the season we have had absences of very important players who have forced footballers who did not expect it to step forward. This unites you as a team and has made us mentally stronger,” Romeu valued after the final. The most obvious example is that of Clara Serrajordi, who at just 18 years old was a starter against Olympique de Lyon. The midfielder debuted a year ago against Athletic Club in the league, but has already earned a place among the best players in the world.

"Money isn't everything"

A demonstration that in football, the one who can invest more doesn't always win. Barça has known how to reinvent itself, with a clear commitment from the sporting direction to sign young prospects (Carolina Ferrera, Liv Pennock, Nikoline Nielsen, or Julia Torres) with potential for the first team. “Money isn't everything, and we've proven it. We are privileged to have La Masia, they are incredible," responded Cata Coll with forcefulness, referring to Michele Kang's project. The South Korean businesswoman — owner of Lyon and London City — incorporated former Blaugrana players Ingrid Engen, Jana Fernández, Lucía Corrales, and Jonatan Giráldez last summer and is now looking to bring Alexia Putellas and Mapi León to England. "You'll see," responded the Blaugrana captain when asked about her future on TV3.

Barça has responded to criticism in the best way they know how: on the pitch. The Blaugrana team has consolidated its generational change —six consecutive finals and three Champions Leagues in the last four years— and has beaten Olympique Lyonnais for the second time in its history. "The doubts that have been generated have been a motivation for us, to show that we are still good. There has been a lack of money everywhere, but, like the boys, we have been able to maintain a high level thanks to years of good work at La Masia," stated Graham Hansen.

A team that is ambitious and is already thinking about winning more titles. With the Champions League, the League, the Cup, and the Super Cup in the trophy cabinet, all that remains is to think about next season. "When I see the daily hard work, I know the team will want to be in the final next year," assures Pajor. With hard work and sacrifice, results come, and this is the lesson that Barça and Pere Romeu taught the whole world on May 23, 2026, in Oslo.