The 1899 · https://the1899.counterpress.media/features/culers-pray-raphinha-16-fc-barcelona-teammates-return-one-piece-144563
Culers Pray Raphinha and Battalion of FC Barcelona Teammates Return Home in One Piece
22.09.26, 16:01 Updated 22.09.26, 16:02
Tom Sanderson
FC Barcelona couldn't have wished for a better start to 2026/2027.
Compare the current moment to a year ago, when a domestic treble-winning outfit seemed to have lost its hunger, and then deservedly lost El Clasico in October after being bullied off the Bernabeu pitch.
That 2-1 loss to Real Madrid proved to be just the kick up the backside Hansi Flick's men needed. And while they went on to do worse in Europe by falling in the Champions League quarterfinals not the semis, and simultaneously ceding the Copa del Rey, La Liga was once more retained.
Flick now has a genuine chance of becoming the first Barça coach since Pep Guardiola to do three Spanish top flight titles in a row, and his players are evidently hungry for it.
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Tom Sanderson has lived in Barcelona since 2019, when he became Forbes' lead reporter on FC Barcelona and Spanish football. He's been The Guardian's most prominent writer on Brazilian football for almost a decade as part of a journey that began in São Paulo. In London, he also became the Daily Mail's first-ever Spanish content writer in its sports department.