What makes a TV show or movie ‘entertaining’?
An exciting and dynamic cast roster? Some compelling writing? A creative head pulling all these strings together in one direction? What about a hooked audience?
Take one look at FC Barcelona 2026/27, and how is the season so far any different? Or if it is lacking any of these prerequisites?
Can anyone argue whether what this team has produced so far is any less than a hit show, critically acclaimed and certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes that is above all, entertaining?
The hands never raised in objection.
If anything, it’s a shame that there has been an involuntary break imposed midway through a season that has already indulged so much fan-service that one would like to forget there are still two more weekends of absence to endure.
But in all seriousness, there’s this feeling, this atmosphere in and around the club right now which is something…else. It feels fresh while also hinting at a fleetingly familiar emotion which seemed to have been long lost.
And maybe, amongst all the tangible scorelines, it is probably because of one intangible reason: this Hansi Flick’s Barcelona is pure entertainment.
The value
Barcelona just cannot stop scoring. (Photo by Alex Caparros/
More than anything, what this Barcelona side re-affirms every single fan is to remember the true motto of this club. The true model of football and probably the single most relatable and instinctive system to implement in the world – joy.
“Salir y Disfrutar”. If a Culer is not familiar with this adage coined by the great founding father of modern-day football and everything great about FC Barcelona, Johan Cruyff, they are now.
“Go out and enjoy” is what the saying translates into a more universally understood language but the fact team took it one step further and made anyone remotely connected to the club absorb, resonate and radiate that joyous feeling is truly a remarkable achievement.
Barcelona is “Mes que un Club”. But it is “More than a Club” because more than the expectation or the mandate of playing good football is the realization that currently sits within the club the value of entertainment that football brings to its fans world over.
Combine that with the trust placed in La Masia graduates, especially those from its class of 2007, the institutional values of the club have probably never reached such heights.
In the end, there is no dearth of talk about how Hansi Flick has brought success and stability back to Barcelona.
But ask a player or a fan. Ask Raphinha his mantra of finding form only reserved earlier for a Lionel Messi or Lamine Yamal behind his most explosive start to a season yet.
And they will tell you how the X-Factor has been the joy that has returned to the club that only a simple pleasure of playing football can give. That’s the cornerstone of this project.
Flick 3.0
Hansi Flick has transformed this Barcelona side. (Photo by David Ramos/
At the same time, this realization doesn’t stem from the usual ‘you score two, we will score five’ nature of the matches, albeit a recurring theme of the Flick era.
Sure, that is thrilling to witness. But it is the mentality instilled in the group of players by Flick to go for one more goal even if the jumbotron display has no more space to accommodate the scoreline.
It doesn’t matter who the opposition is or what the game state is, the best form of defense is attack for this team. And if the squad fails to keep up with this demand, you can see Flick pointing it out in the mixed zone afterwards.
That’s the golden standard. That’s the level.
And yes, there have been questions about this approach at times especially when it has cost the club during big Champions League games. Some of which are to come again this season.
But if honesty and efficiency is the theme here, this is the best a Barcelona team has looked in ages. The best under Flick.
And it has taken them two whole years to achieve this level of ruthlessness, understanding and completeness that combines the elite standards of a successful modern side and the values of that of Barcelona.
This is Flick 3.0.
Moreover, should they win it all, as the team looks to prime themselves for this season, they would do so in a way that is unconventional, unique and above all influential, the hallmark of any great Barcelona side.
Are you not entertained? (Photo by Alex Caparros/
It is this influence that sent goosebumps down the spine of any fan witnessing the 7-2 demolition job of Racing Santander just less than two weeks ago.
To paint a specific canvas, Barcelona are 5-2 up in the second half and are playing some champagne, liquid footy to go with it.
Customarily, the Blaugrana prods for the sixth and it is thumped in the most ‘no need to put it top bins’ manner by substitute Gabriel Jesus, sending us onlookers into the most intense nostalgia overdrive, remembering one prime Luis Suarez.
The camera then cuts to a shot of the Cules braving the torrential outpour of rain but on its feet applauding in sheer disbelief and joy at the sight of what they were witnessing.
The Camp Nou was basking in the adulation of pride. The flags were hoisted higher than before. The ole’s rang louder than ever. The applause didn’t stop. The ‘Gol 1957′ Grade de Animacion struck the drums harder every time the players ran hard to win the ball back.
Thunderstorms were brewing in Catalonia, but Nou Camp brought the lightning. The whole arena was under the clouds, chiming in with chants for each and every player on the team and harmonizing as one.
A sight to behold. A payoff for every fan who has endured difficult times in these past ten years. A reason to love the club for the ones who joined the effort along the way.
In the meantime, the seventh also goes in. The crowd goes wild as if it were the first of the night. Lamine Yamal kisses the turf with the captain’s Senyera band on his arm and the number 10 on his back. It couldn’t have been scripted better than this.
Anyways, a disclaimer of caution, as is played before any show, nothing is won in September. More difficult tests are to come that will truly test the resolve and this very core value of Flick’s Barcelona.
But in the spirit of joy, be honest, are you not entertained?
