Football
‘He Saw Me As an Important Piece’ – Youngster Explains How Barcelona Coach Hansi Flick Changed the Course of His Career
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Get to know Sushan Chakraborty betterPublished07 Jan 2025
Barcelona youngster Marc Casado has said Hansi Flick’s arrival was a turning point for his career, as he was all set to leave the club on loan before the German took charge.
La Masia graduate Casado has been one of the best surprise packages of the 2024-25 La Liga season. In a matter of six months, the 21-year-old went from helping Barca Atletic secure promotion to the Segunda Division to lining up for the senior team against the best teams in Spain.
Marc Casado Explains How Hansi Flick Changed His Fate at Barcelona
In June 2024, Barcelona extended Casado’s contract, tying him down until 30th June 2028. They wanted to secure his future before sending him out on loan. However, the plan turned on its head after Flick arrived as Xavi’s successor. After reviewing the footage of Casado’s performances for the youth and reserve sides, he asked the midfielder to stay, assuring him he would get enough opportunities to showcase his talents.
“The club wanted me to stay, but it’s true that the idea was to look for minutes outside of Barca,” Casado told Barca One.
“When Hansi Flick arrived, they told me that he had been analysing videos of the youth team and Barça Atletic and that he saw me as an important piece of the team. In the end, I renewed with the idea of being able to stay in the first team.”
The pre-season tour in the United States turned out to be massive for Casado, as it allowed him to showcase his determination.
“I knew that these games could be life or death and I went out onto the field knowing that if I did well I could stay at the club where I had always dreamed of playing,” Casado added.
“There were times when the manager wanted to substitute me to manage the workload, but I didn’t want to. I what he told us at the start of each training session. He told us that if we gave 100% we would be rewarded.”
Casado has featured in 22 matches for Barcelona in all competitions so far, playing 1,727 minutes of football. He has chipped in with five assists.