Flick Confirms Thiago Alcantara's Departure from Barcelona Coaching Staff

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick has announced the departure of Thiago Alcantara from the Catalan club's coaching staff this summer, marking the end of his two-year tenure with the team.

Flick indicated that the decision to leave is due to personal reasons for the 35-year-old former player, who had joined the staff during the German coach's initial preparatory phase at Barcelona.

Alcantara played a pivotal role as a key member of Flick's staff, undertaking tasks such as guiding and mentoring players, in addition to contributing to the development of the team's tactical principles, leveraging his prior knowledge of the coach from their time together at Bayern Munich.

The team's farewell to the assistant coach was publicly evident when Barcelona players celebrated him during the final training session of the season, following initial reports that had hinted at his imminent departure from the position.

Hansi Flick expressed his great appreciation for Alcantara's contributions during his time with the club. The Barcelona coach said: “He helped me a lot here at Barcelona, and he was exceptional throughout the past two years.”

Flick added, speaking about his assistant's departure: “We will certainly miss him, but I understand that he has his own plans, and that’s good. I hope he can return someday because we need men like him in this field.”

This departure comes after Alcantara officially rejoined the coaching staff last summer, following a brief period in England to address tax matters, having initially started his duties as a translator and assistant during the German coach's transitional phase.

While the club will miss his technical services, Hansi Flick continues his duties at the helm of Barcelona's technical management after extending his contract, emphasizing the significant value Thiago added to the Catalan system before his decision to end this experience.