Barcelona have appointed former Germany and Bayern Munich manager Hansi Flick as their new head coach on a two-year contract, the LaLiga club announced on Wednesday.
Flick, 59, has been tasked with reviving Barcelona's fortunes after the Catalan giants failed to win any trophies this season under previous coach Xavi Hernandez, who was dismissed last Friday.
In a statement, Barcelona said they had "chosen a man well known for his teams' high pressing, intense and daring style of play which has brought him great success at club level and international level, winning pretty much all there is to win in the world of football."
Flick expressed his excitement at taking over at the Camp Nou, telling Barca TV: "It's an honor and a dream to be the Barcelona coach. I'm really looking forward to starting work for this amazing club."
He inherits a Barcelona side that finished 10 points behind LaLiga champions Real Madrid this season and were knocked out of the Champions League quarter-finals by Paris St Germain.
Flick made his name as an assistant to Joachim Low with the German national team, helping them win the 2014 World Cup. He took over as Bayern Munich head coach midway through 2019-20 and immediately found success, winning six titles that season including the Bundesliga, Champions League and Club World Cup.
However, Flick faces a major rebuilding job both on and off the pitch at Barcelona amid the club's well-documented financial problems and an ongoing refereeing scandal.
After leading Germany to a group stage exit at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Flick was dismissed in September 2023 following a friendly loss to Japan.
His first task will be preparing Barcelona for the new LaLiga season, which begins in mid-August. Flick's main objective will be reclaiming the Spanish league title from rivals Real Madrid.
