Hansi Flick says Barcelona wanted to beat Athletic Bilbao for Dani Olmo and Pau Victor, who will play in Sunday's Supercopa de Espana final.
The Blaugrana advanced to the showpiece after a 2-0 win over Bilbao, with Gavi and Lamine Yamal on target at King Abdullah Sports City.
Flick's side received a boost from the Spanish National Sports Council (CSD) before the match, allowing the club to provisionally register Olmo and Victor for the remainder of the season.
The pair, who joined Barcelona in pre-season, were only able to register for the first half of the season after the club failed to meet LaLiga's wage cap rules.
“I think this was a good signal for us before the game,” Flick told reporters during his post-match press conference. “We are a team and we wanted to win for Dani Olmo and Pau Victor, but also for the club.
“Of course I am very happy for these two players, but in the end I am also happy for the whole team. I don't want to talk about what happened in the past, but we have to continue and I hope this will benefit us in the future will come.”
Gavi paid tribute to Olmo by repeating his trademark celebration by pointing to his wrist after opening the scoring in Jeddah.
“I told him before that I would do it if I scored, and I dedicated it to him,” the midfielder said. “Both Dani and Pau are players who help us a lot, and we are all happy because they can now play.”
“In the end, we are very happy that they can play now,” said Yamal, who marked his return from injury with the second goal. “I hope they will be with us in the final. When the coach puts them on, let them give everything.”
HIGHLIGHTSBarça gets the job done as Gavi and Lamine put Yamal Athletic Club to the sword pic.twitter.com/Qux3F3IzZ7
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) January 8, 2025
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