Despite Barcelona’s historic victory over arch-rivals Real Madrid in the recent El Clásico, the post-match atmosphere wasn’t as jubilant as many might have expected. While the fans celebrated the epic comeback, which saw Barcelona turn a two-goal deficit into a resounding victory, there were signs of anger and disappointment behind the scenes. This massive win exposed internal tensions that seemed to go beyond the result of the match.
According to reports from the Spanish newspaper El Nacional, in an unusual turn of events, two of Barcelona’s most prominent stars refrained from joining the celebrations, with clear signs of frustration visible on their faces inside the dressing room. This was despite the lively atmosphere at Estadio Luis Companys after Barcelona’s fourth victory over Real Madrid this season. Surprisingly, the cause of their discontent was a dispute with coach Hansi Flick, whose tactical decisions had apparently not met their expectations. This cast a shadow over what should have been a moment of pure celebration and led to speculations about the relationship between the coach and certain players.
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The tension didn’t end there. A similar situation arose with substitute goalkeeper Iñaki Peña, who appeared to be entirely isolated from the team’s collective joy. Peña, who had temporarily regained his place in the starting lineup due to Marc-André ter Stegen’s injury, found himself sidelined once again after the arrival of Wojciech Szczęsny, who had earned Flick’s full trust. This created a clear rift between Peña and Flick, and the goalkeeper began to consider his future away from Barcelona at the end of the season.
While some players went to a nightclub to celebrate, even in the company of global rap star Travis Scott, Peña chose to distance himself completely, realizing that his time at Barcelona was nearing its end.
The most notable story, however, involved Polish star Robert Lewandowski. He publicly expressed his displeasure with Flick’s decision to exclude him from the El Clásico match, despite being physically fit. Although Lewandowski played a minor role in the Champions League semi-final, being left out of such a significant match felt like a “sporting insult” to him, especially after warming up throughout the second half.
Sources within the dressing room confirmed that Lewandowski did not hide his frustration and opted to withdraw from the celebrations, signaling growing tensions between him and Flick. This incident highlighted the coach’s preference for a collective approach over reliance on individual stars, even those as prominent as the team’s top scorer.
While the club’s management has attempted to downplay these disagreements, the future of several players at Barcelona is now in question. With a potentially heated summer transfer window on the horizon, it seems that the Catalan club may be in for an offseason as eventful as the El Clásico itself.
