Hansi Flick’s special gesture towards Barcelona’s unused substitutes vs Crvena Zvezda

Barcelona continued their winning momentum by securing a 5-2 victory over Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade.

It wasn’t an easy assignment for Barcelona players at all. Quite used to the warm conditions of Catalonia, the players had to travel to snowy Belgrade, with the temperature dropping to 2 degrees Celsius on the night of the match.

While most players kept themselves warm by participating in a riveting encounter that witnessed seven goals, six Barcelona players were unable to enter the pitch and were left as unused substitutes.

Flick’s message to unused substitutes

The six substitutes – goalkeepers Ander Astralaga and Wojciech Szczesny, along with Alejandro Balde, Hector Fort, Pablo Torre, and Ansu Fati – spent the match on the bench without seeing a single minute of play.

However, as reported by Mundo Deportivo, head coach Hansi Flick made sure these substitutes were not overlooked, especially after a gruesome travel.

Flick stood out once again with his humility (Photo by Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images)

Just before Barça made their final substitution, with Pau Victor coming on in the 78th minute, Flick walked over to each of the unused players, offering a handshake and a few words of encouragement.

Flick’s gesture was a powerful show of leadership – something he has been doing ever since he took the job in the summer.

Pedri had already shed light on this aspect of Flick’s character in a recent interview, where he stated:

“What characterizes Flick the most is his concern for those who do not participate in the matches; he will talk to them and control them.”

This quality was evident once again in Belgrade, where the coach’s effort to connect with the sidelined players may have helped ease their frustration.