Barcelona boss Hansi Flick has weighed in on the drama swirling around their arch-rivals Real Madrid, after reports of a dressing room bust-up between Fede Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni left the Uruguayan with a head injury. Speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday's El Clásico, Flick admitted the news caught him off guard—but he wasn't about to stir the pot.
"These things can happen. It happens around the world. It's not only Real Madrid. Was I surprised? Maybe a little bit. I was a little bit surprised, but these things happen all over the world, not just at Real Madrid," Flick said. "But I don't want to talk about it, it's not my team, it's not my club."
The German coach was quick to sidestep any temptation to fuel the fire, especially with the biggest match in Spanish football just hours away. Instead, he turned the focus back to his own squad and the values he's instilled at Barcelona.
When the conversation shifted to Kylian Mbappé—who's faced criticism lately, with some claiming Real Madrid play better without him—Flick wasn't having any of it. "Come on. Mbappé is one of the best players in the world. He has great quality; for me, in front of goal, for me he's one of the best," he said, shutting down the debate with the respect any elite player deserves.
Flick was less comfortable when asked about the "spirit of Juanito"—a legendary Real Madrid fighting mentality often invoked to inspire comebacks. "I don't know how to answer this question. I don't know what to say. I'm sorry," he replied, keeping his cards close to his chest.
Perhaps the most telling moment came when a reporter threw Flick's own words back at him. Earlier this season, he famously said "ego kills the team" to encourage defensive discipline. Asked if he thought Real Madrid were suffering from the same issue, Flick stayed diplomatic but firm.
"I don't want to talk about Real Madrid because it's not my team. But it's true, the important thing is to work as a team, that we always think with the 'we', not about the me. Not about the ego, but always for the team. Everything that's going on, has to be positive for the team, and in my view, it's positive for the team," he explained.
With El Clásico approaching, Flick's message is clear: keep the focus on your own game, respect your rivals, and never let ego get in the way of the team. For Barcelona fans, that's exactly the kind of mindset that wins big matches—and maybe even titles.