Barcelona 2024–25 Season: The Return of a Sleeping Giant | OneFootball

Barcelona's 2024–25 season will live forever as one of the greatest in club history, one where they left behind constant mediocrity to re-position themselves at the very top of Spanish soccer.

Hansi Flick's arrival to Barça's touchline reinvigorated the club. Aided by the influx of talent from La Masia, Flick made a mockery of the low expectations that were placed on Barcelona prior to the start of the season.

Ten months later, with the Spanish Super Cup, Copa del Rey and La Liga trophies already resting in Barça's trophy cabinet, plus getting within seconds of the Champions League final, Barcelona are back to being considered one of the best in the sport.

With an attractive, attacking style and stars in every area, the previously dormant Barcelona woke up this campaign.

Here’s Sports Illustrated’s detailed review of Barcelona's 2024–25 season.

Barcelona 2024-25 Player of the Season

Lamine Yamal

Lamine Yamal established himself as one of the best players in the world this season. / IMAGO/Pressinphoto

There's plenty of strong candidates, but 17-year-old Lamine Yamal stood out above the rest.

At only 16-years-old, Yamal's first full season playing for the senior Barça side in 2023–24 introduced the sport to one of the world's brightest young talents. His performances in the 2024 UEFA Euros were the exclamation point, as he played a key role in Spain's title.

As impressive as it was, 2023–24 was an appetizer.

2024–25 was the full meal.

Over the past 10 months, Yamal's reached a new level, one perhaps never seen before from a player his age. Barcelona games have become must-see TV simply because of the magic this 17-year-old is capable of producing.

As dribbles, body faints, trivela passes, breathtaking assists and curled shots into the far post mounted, Yamal made his status as the best young player in the world feel insufficient. With every passing game, he performed his way into the conversation of being the best player in the world, period.

Yamal ended the season with 43 goal involvements (18 goals, 25 assists), an incredible feat for a teenager but modest numbers compared to his teammate Raphinha. However, those who watched Barcelona play this season will attest to the fact that in the highest-pressure moments, Flick's side did all they could to make sure the ball found its way to Yamal for something special to happen.

More often than not, he delivered.

It was a phenomenal season by the Catalunya native, one that might see him become the youngest player ever to win the Ballon d'Or.

Honorable Mentions: Raphinha, Pedri

Barcelona 2024-25 Goal of the Season

Lamine Yamal vs. Espanyol

It's tough to pick one out of Barcelona's 174 goal catalogue in 2024-25. There's plenty of worthy contenders, but the winner is the goal that clinched Barcelona's 28th La Liga title: Yamal's stunning curler from outside the box vs. city-rivals Espanyol.

Barcelona needed a win to secure the league title, but as is often the case in Catalan derbies, Espanyol had an extra gear and the game remained scoreless early in the second half. Then, Yamal appeared and produced a moment of magic worthy of securing Barcelona's most important trophy of the season.

Yamal received the ball on the right wing with space to work with, he took a few touches and then suddenly accelerated, cutting inside to create a better angle before firing a perfect, curling shot from distance that tucked into the top corner.

Alejandro Balde's reaction was all of us, in awe of the 17-year-old's latest magic trick, one that's become his trademarked finish. Because of its beauty and what it meant, it's a deserved goal of the season winner.

Honorable Mentions: Lamine Yamal vs. Inter Milan, Lamine Yamal vs. Benfica, Pedri vs. Real Madrid, Jules Koundé vs. Real Madrid, Raphinha vs. Benfica (UCL League Phase game-winner), Raphinha's third vs. Bayern Munich.

Barcelona 2024-25 Performance of the Season

Real Madrid (A)

Few things are more gratifying for Barcelona than dismantling Real Madrid in El Clásico in their own backyard.

Life under Flick started with Barcelona winning 11 of their first 13 games before they made the daunting trip to Spain's capital for the first El Clásico of the season at the Santiago Bernabéu. Real Madrid hadn't lost in La Liga in over a year, entering the match on a 42-game unbeaten streak, the second longest ever in Spain's top-flight. Recent history didn't favor the Catalans either, having lost the previous four Clásicos.

What happened? Los Blancos' home ended up painted Blaugrana.

After a contested first 45 minutes saw the game go scoreless into halftime, Barcelona bulldozed their bitter rivals in the second half. Robert Lewandowski bagged a brace 10 minutes into the second half, then Yamal became the youngest goalscorer in El Clásico history with a violent weak-foot strike into the roof of the net. Raphinha added the cherry on top with a cool chip to make it four.

Boosted by the signing of Kylian Mbappé, few people thought Barcelona would be able to compete vs. Real Madrid in 2024–25. Well, in their first meeting of the term, Barça's now famous defensive high-line spoiled the Frenchman's Clásico debut, getting caught offsides a staggering eight times.

The victory at the Bernabéu set the tone for the rest of the season, one that would end with Barcelona winning all four El Clásicos, a record-setting feat in the rivalry.

Honorable Mentions: Bayern Munich (H), Borussia Dortmund (H), Real Valladolid (H), Valencia (H), Villarreal (A), Real Madrid (Spanish Super Cup)

Barcelona 2024-25 Signing of the Season

Wojciech Szczęsny

Wojciech Szczęsny came out of retirement to win three major trophies with Barcelona. / IMAGO/SOPA Images

Marc-André ter Stegen tearing his ACL less than a month into the season could've easily cooled Barcelona's title-aspirations were it not for their emergency signing: Wojciech Szczęsny.

The Polish goalkeeper called it a career after the 2024 Euros last summer, or so he thought. Barcelona signed Szczęsny out of retirement as a free agent following their captain's injury. After spending the first half of the season playing second fiddle to Iñaki Peña, Szczęsny took over the starting role when the calendar turned to 2025.

Since he first featured in the 4–0 Copa del Rey victory vs. Barbastro to start the year, Barcelona didn't lose a single game with Szczęsny between the sticks for over four months, a 22-game unbeaten run in all competitions to start his Barça career.

Szczęsny kept eight clean sheets in his 15 La Liga appearances and Barcelona didn't lose a game with him in goal. Those 15 appearances were part of Barça's unbeaten run that saw them surge from third in the standings to clinching the title with two games to spare. He was also in goal when Barcelona defeated Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup and Copa del Rey finals. Not bad for a retired player.

The end of the season means Szczęsny's future is uncertain once again, however, he did what was asked of him and more. Regardless of what comes next, the goalkeeper that likes to enjoy the odd cigarette from time to time has guaranteed his name will live forever in Barcelona folklore.

Honorable Mention: Dani Olmo

Barcelona 2024-25 Most Improved Player

Raphinha

No player in Europe's top five league has more goal involvements in 2024–25 than Raphinha. / IMAGO/ZUMA Press Wire

The player many fans wanted gone from Barcelona prior to the start of the season is now a Ballon d'Or candidate following a 34 goal and 25 assist campaign, that's how big of a turnaround Raphinha had in 2024–25.

Raphinha struggled to fully ingratiate himself with Barcelona fans during his first two seasons with the team. He tallied 20 goals and 25 assists over the last two years and lacked consistency whilst Barcelona struggled to escape mediocrity, especially in Europe.

Flick arrived and opted against selling the Brazilian, instead turning him into one of the world's best. Starting from the left wing, Flick deployed Raphinha almost as a second striker. Unlike Yamal, who was almost always near the touchline, Raphinha would constantly drift centrally and crash the box. This allowed him to seemingly always be perfectly positioned to score or assist.

Raphinha saved his best for the Champions League, where he set Barcelona's single season record for most goal involvements and equaled Cristiano Ronaldo for the most goal contributions in a single Champions League season with 21.

After more than doubling his goal contribution tally for the Catalans this term, Raphinha got a well-deserved contract extension. Having worn the captain's armband on multiple occasions, it's clear the Brazilian is one of the leaders and most important pieces of Flick's Barça, both on and off the pitch.

Honorable Mentions: Pedri, Jules Koundé, Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsí, Marc Casadó

Barcelona 2024-25 Disappointment of the Season

Ronald Araujo

Ronald Araújo was heavily signaled in Barcelona's exit from the Champions League for a second straight season. / IMAGO/Gribaudi/ImagePhoto

It was a difficult season for Barcelona's vice-captain and that's putting it mildly.

Araújo had to wait a long time to make his season debut after a hamstring injury suffered during the 2024 Copa América sidelined him for the following six months. Once he returned to full fitness, he struggled and was never able to regain a starting role in Flick's strongest lineup.

With only 12 appearances in La Liga, he barely eclipsed the 1,000 minute mark in the league. All in all, he featured 25 times and played 1,560 minutes across all competitions.

Lapses in judgement that lead to egregious mistakes continue to be synonymous with the Uruguayan center back. Unfortunately for him and Barcelona, those mistakes seem to occur at the worst possible times.

He was at fault for Real Betis's equalizer that ended Barcelona's nine-game La Liga winning streak. Ten days later, a sloppy clearance led to Borussia Dortmund's third goal that gave them life in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals, leading to Barcelona's first defeat of 2025.

But Araújo's season will be best remembered for his soft and feeble attempt to mark Francesco Acerbi when the Inter Milan center back entered the box and fired a shot into the back of the net in stoppage time of the Champions League semifinals. After being seconds away from pulling off a sensational comeback, the tie went to extra time where Barcelona's hopes of ending a decade-long Champions League title drought eventually came to a heartbreaking end.

Araújo has been front and center in Barcelona's last two Champions League eliminations, resulting in more and more fans calling for his departure this summer, something that's become a very real possibility.

Dishonorable Mention: Ansu Fati

Barcelona 2024–25 Most Appearances

Barcelona 2024-25 Top Scorers

Barcelona 2024–25 Top Assisters

Barcelona 2024-25 Record in All Competitions