Barcelona, the five-time Champions League winners, are poised to host Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, hoping to exorcise the ghosts of past failures and reclaim their place among Europe’s elite. The Catalans’ stunning 3-2 victory in the first leg in Paris has ignited dreams of a return to the final four.
Coach Xavi Hernandez has instilled a new sense of belief in his young squad, which features two of the youngest players ever to grace the Champions League knockout stages: 16-year-old Lamine Yamal and 17-year-old Pau Cubarsi. Their youthful exuberance has brought a fresh perspective to a team that has been burdened by a string of disappointing European campaigns.
Barcelona’s last triumph in the competition came in 2015, when they were led by the formidable trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Luis Suarez. Since then, they have endured a series of humiliating defeats, including a 4-0 collapse at Anfield in 2019 and an 8-2 thrashing by Bayern Munich in 2020.
The psychological scars of those defeats have weighed heavily on Barcelona’s veteran players, many of whom have since departed. However, Yamal and Cubarsi are untainted by those failures, and Xavi has praised their resilience.
“Yamal is very calm and mature,” said Xavi. “He handles everything that happens to him so well, despite his young age.”
Cubarsi’s composure was evident in Barcelona’s victory over Napoli in the last 16, where he played a key role in securing their progression.
“He has a very well-furnished brain,” said Xavi.
Barcelona’s young stars will be crucial in helping the team overcome the psychological barriers that have haunted them in recent years. They must “put the ghosts aside,” as goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen put it, and focus on the task at hand.
The Bayern Munich defeat in 2020 served as a wake-up call for Barcelona, who have since twice crashed out in the group stage. President Joan Laporta has pledged to restore the club to its former glory, and the team is now on the verge of reaching the final four for the first time in four years.
Critics have questioned Laporta’s decision to sell Messi and invest heavily in new signings, but the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde, and Raphinha have all played a significant role in Barcelona’s resurgence.
By winning La Liga last season, Barcelona proved that they are on the right track. Now, they must complete the job they started in Paris and demonstrate that their progress is not limited to domestic competition.
