Barcelona have their work cut out if they’re to one-up or even repeat the success of Hansi Flick’s debut season in 2025–26.
La Blaugrana ended 2024–25 with three pieces of silverware in their back pocket, and were on the cusp of their first Champions League final appearance since 2015. Flick’s outstanding side captured hearts and minds, and there were no signs of a sophomore slump in the Far East this summer.
Barcelona recorded three victories in Japan and South Korea against, admittedly, rather tame opposition, but the nature of their performances suggested the La Liga champions will be coming again this term.
Flick used the three games to hand minutes to the vast majority of those who travelled, and here are the major winners and losers from their preseason tour.
Winners From Barcelona’s Preseason Tour
Gavi
The former Kopa Trophy winner was set back by a devastating knee injury in November 2023, and his 2024–25 season suffered as a result. It was a campaign for easing back into the swing of things, with Flick entrusting the majestic Pedri, as well as Frenkie de Jong and Marc Casadó, with the brunt of the minutes in his double pivot.
Gavi, who broke out as a deeper-lying midfielder, was utilized in a more advanced role and barely notched 1,000 La Liga minutes. It’s fair to say he wasn’t a major influence in Barcelona’s superb season.
However, the young Spanish midfielder is determined to contribute in a more significant way this time around, and he was perhaps Barça’s most impressive performer in Asia. Gavi was handed a starting role in Flick’s double pivot, showing off his capacity to resist pressure in the build-up phase, circulate possession efficiently in the opponent’s half, and come up with the goods in the final third.
The newly-turned 21-year-old looks back to his destructive and elegant best, with a bounce-back season inevitable in Catalonia if he stays injury-free.
La Masia
Keep calm & trust La Masia pic.twitter.com/QI1VT64ct8
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 4, 2025
It’s been another excellent summer for La Masia, with Flick taking a few of Barcelona’s kids on tour.
A trio of Fernándezs made appearances in Asia, with "Dro" making the most noise. The 17-year-old scored off the bench against Vissel Kobe, and looked at ease when deployed from the outset in the 5–0 win over Daegu FC. He’s said to have taken Flick aback with his performances in training at the start of the summer, and although the teenager must develop physically, it looks like he’ll be the next creative gem out of La Masia to blossom in Catalonia.
Striker Toni Fernández finished coolly in the rout of Daegu, but could find himself out on loan, while left-back Jofre Torrents looks poised to back up another academy graduate, Alejandro Balde.
The most gifted of them all, Lamine Yamal, was untouchable on tour. Crowds watched on in wonder every time the otherworldly right-winger received possession.
Roony Bardghji
Barcelona still have work to do if they’re to register their new signings for the 2025–26 season, and their performances on tour only hastens the need for each of them to be a part of Flick’s plans.
Marcus Rashford was the big-name addition, and he scored his first goal for the club against Daegu on Monday. The loanee offered glimpses during his three appearances, and immediately looks like a good fit for Flick’s Barça.
Joan García was rarely called upon during his stints in goal, but looked the part outside of one erroneous reach for a cross in the first half of Monday’s win. He will be Barcelona’s number one on the first weekend of the La Liga season, if they get him registered.
Less was known about Barça’s other new face, Bardghji, who joined the club for a small fee from FC Copenhagen. The crafty winger was once earmarked as a potential future star, but had his development curtailed by an ACL tear suffered in April 2024.
Bardghji is thus somewhat still on the comeback trail, but he made a distinct impression in the Far East. His ball manipulation and nifty footwork are distinct traits, and he netted his first goal for the club in their 3–1 win over Vissel Kobe. Right now, it looks like he’ll be capable of providing Yamal with respite down the right when needed.
Losers From Barcelona’s Preseason Tour
Pau Cubarsí
Cubarsí didn’t do all that much wrong on the tour, but his pocket was picked in the first match against Vissel Kobe, leading to the Japanese side’s equalizer.
Then, the teenager defender was forced off in the closing stages of their victory over Daegu, even if the injury looks to be nothing serious.
While the Spanish international has shown immense promise at the start of his senior career, showing he has what it takes to blossom into one of the world’s best, Cubarsí is prone to mental lapses and a determined Ronald Araújo will be gunning to earn his place back in Barcelona’s defense this season. Andreas Christensen is fit again, too.
Ferran Torres
’The Shark’ enjoyed a mightily productive 2024–25 campaign and he scored twice during Barcelona’s 7–3 win over FC Seoul.
Torres isn’t a ’loser’ based on his performances on tour, but there’s no denying that the competition is stiffer for his minutes. Last season, the Spaniard primarily functioned as backup to Robert Lewandowski up front, and there was talk that Flick saw Rashford as someone who could not only play down the left but potentially also function as Barcelona’s leading man in attack.
The Englishman has so far operated from the role Raphinha mastered last season, combining neatly from the left half-space and darting in behind when necessary. However, there’s certainly scope for Rashford to threaten Torres’s status in the squad if he does hit the ground running.
The Spaniard has lots of credit in the bank from his 2024–25 exploits, but he’ll have to prove his efficient work was no flash in the pan.
Marc-André ter Stegen
Ter Stegen wasn’t a part of Barça’s summer tour through injury, and the German international is seemingly prepared to compromise the club’s efforts to register their new signings.
According to reports, Ter Stegen isn’t allowing Barcelona to send his medical report to La Liga, which would let the La Liga champions use 80% of his salary to help register their new additions, including potential usurper García. The 33-year-old recently underwent surgery to fix a recurring back issue and will spend a prolonged period on the sidelines.
Ultimately, Ter Stegen is merely protecting his own interests, but this situation is already threatening to turn messy. Barcelona are supposedly getting their lawyers involved.
READ THE LATEST BARCELONA NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MORE
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Winners and Losers From Barcelona’s Preseason Tour.