Justice was served in Munich. PSG have their first Champions League title and Luis Enrique has received the recognition he so greatly deserves. The way the French team has grown under the guidance of the Asturian coach has been a spectacle, both tactically and physically. Lucho has achieved what no one imagined: turning the collective into the core of a team that was terribly individualized. Neymar, Messi, and finally Mbappé had to leave so the Parisians could become the footballing envy of the continent, setting aside big names to make way for a squad fiercely committed to the work and directives of their coach. The success of the former blaugrana coach should also prompt a bit of internal reflection, since he could have stayed longer on Camp Nou bench, but he ended up leaving through the back door after three seasons in charge of the Barça team.
The same goes for Pep Guardiola. Three seasons ago, the man from Santpedor managed to lead Manchester City to their first Champions League title, a competition that had eluded him since he left Barcelona. Another captain who, since leaving Can Barça, has shown year after year that wherever he goes, he does so accompanied by success. A large part of the blaugrana fanbase is very clear that the "sky blue" coach is the ideal manager to take Camp Nou bench, and they dream that one day Pep will return to what is his home. However, after four majestic seasons at the helm, Guardiola ended his blaugrana era, which also meant a significant blow for the Barça supporter.
Curiously, both Lucho and Pep achieved trebles in their first year as FC Barcelona coaches. Flick has narrowly missed out on this. Nevertheless, the impact of the German's arrival at Can Barça closely resembles that of his predecessors. In all three cases, they took charge of a team lacking joy, shaken both morally and emotionally, and lifted it—remarkably so—in their first year at the helm. With all three in charge, in just 365 days, the blaugrana team went from being a sea of doubts to becoming the envy of the entire international soccer scene. So, if the club and its fans have learned anything, they'll do everything possible to ensure that with Hansi, things don't turn out as they did with Guardiola and Luis Enrique, thus avoiding having to watch him lift another Champions League trophy while defending another badge.
So far, it's clear there haven't been reasons to criticize Flick. Although it's true that during the results crisis in November and December, more than one person already felt the urgent need to question the German's approaches. The environment is there; little can be done about that, it'll appear at the slightest sign of trouble. It'll be the job of the club and the fans to build a shield around a coach who could be the architect of a new golden age for Barcelona supporters. Barça have a coach who, when no one expected it, has returned the team to the elite, just as happened with Guardiola and Luis Enrique. Let's hope this story has a better ending than the other two, that the next Champions League trophy Hansi lifts is at the helm of FC Barcelona. Of course, for that to happen, he'll need to be cared for a bit more than Pep and Lucho were.