Flick 'blocks' the trip of four youth players to the U-20 Intercontinental Cup

The 2025 U-20 Intercontinental Cup will be played next Saturday, August 23, and FC Barcelona, as current champion of the 2024/2025 UEFA Youth League, will face Club Flamengo, champion of the 2025 U-20 Copa Libertadores. However, they will do so with significant absences.

Juliano Belletti, coach of Barça's U-20 team, requested Hansi Flick to allow youth players Dro Fernández, Toni and Guille Fernández, and Jofre Torrents to travel with the reserve team to Rio de Janeiro to play in the U-20 Intercontinental Cup, but Hansi Flick refused to release the youngsters.

The German coach blocked the call-up of the four youth players to play in the tournament because he needs them in the first team after the start of LaLiga. The pending registrations of the first team players cause significant absences, so the coach has not approved the trip of the young players.

The trip to Rio de Janeiro spans from Tuesday to Sunday, so the permission would prevent Flick from counting on the youth players for the match against Levante, scheduled for Saturday the 23rd at 9:30 PM. Same hour for the Intercontinental final in the Maracaná stadium.

Dro, Toni, Guille, and Jofre, untouchable for Hansi Flick

Flick has demonstrated a strong work philosophy since his arrival at the Catalan club and a great commitment to the young players from La Masia, seeking to maximize the work with all available players and, in this way, have the greatest number of options during the season.

A fundamental factor to take into account is the absence of players not yet registered such as Wojciech Szczesny, Gerard Martín, and Roony Bardghji, so the coach requires a greater squad depth while the pending registrations are resolved.

It is also important to highlight that the youth players started the preseason and have been training with the first team since July 14 and participated in the Asian tour. Flick considers this period key for their adaptation and considers them important pieces for rotation this season. Not in vain, Jofre Torrents has already debuted in La Liga against Mallorca.

In addition, the Fernández cousins, Toni and Guille, along with Jofre and goalkeeper Diego Kochen, have already been registered in LaLiga, although all four maintain reserve team licenses. The 25/26 season will be long, with 60 or more matches, and Hansi Flick prioritizes having young talent to go for all the titles at stake in 2026.

Related

Barça registers Kochen, Jofre Torrents and the Fernández cousins in LaLiga

Barça's Intercontinental Cup dream, intact despite the absences

Belletti will face important absences in his match against Flamengo, however, the Brazilian coach hopes to make history at the Maracanã and help Barça win the U-20 Intercontinental Cup for the first time, being one of the few titles that the Blaugrana club has not yet managed to conquer.

The Culés won the Youth League this year after overcoming Dinamo Zagreb, Aston Villa, Stuttgart, AZ Alkmaar, and Trabzonspor in the knockout phase, the latter falling by a landslide (1-4) in the final.

Barça squad for Intercontinental Cup U-20:

• Andrés Cuenca 
• Adrián
• Alexis Olmedo 
• Brian Fariñas 
• Eder Aller
• Campos
• Álvaro Cortés
• Gistau Guillem
• Jan Virgili
• Juan
• Max Bonfill 
• Landry 
• Oduro
• Parriego 
• Pedro Rodríguez 
• Quim Junyent
• Sala 
• Sama Nomoko
• Kluivert 
• Tommy Marqués 
• Walton
• Xavi Espart