Rangnick: Barcelona wants to find me as the director in 2021, and I recommend Frick as the coach to them

Austrian national team coach Ronnick recently accepted an interview with the Daily Sports newspaper. He revealed that he recommended Flick to Laporta that year.

Ronnick said: "That was four years ago, in 2021, I received a call from (Vice Chairman of Barcelona) Rafa Ust, and we had never met. He introduced himself and asked if he could meet in Barcelona because they were looking for a sports director. I promised to go and had a two-day meeting with Ust and Laporta. Naturally, we discussed the fit between my past resume in Hoffenheim, Leipzig and Salzburg and the club needs."

" 'This sounds interesting, so what type of coach do you need? 'Laporta asked me . I replied: We need modern coaches who work with young players, to develop abilities, leadership and humanistic care, and most importantly, to trust them. I told Laporta that clubs like Barcelona that use almost all young players must give them the freedom to run like a wolf. If they keep reminding them to 'don't take risks', the system will collapse. Using young people requires risks and they must let them play their best. At that time, I clearly mentioned Frick's name, which may also include one or two coaches such as Klopp. Laporta obviously remembered the advice about Frick."