Barcelona must learn that in the Champions League money talks but it isn’t everything
The Catalans need signings but must be smart in their decision-making.
Paris Saint-Germain's French forward #10 Ousmane Dembele (C) vies for the ball with Barcelona's English forward #14 Marcus Rashford during the UEFA Champions League league phase day 2 football match between FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys in Barcelona, on October 1, 2025. (Photo by Lluis GENE / AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images Would Barcelona be able to hang around with PSG or Bayern Munich in a Champions League semi-final? My honest opinion, I think they may match up better against the giants of Europe than they do against an Atlético Madrid or an Inter Milan.
Ironically, Barcelona is a better team than the latter and not quite on the level of the former. When it comes to an open attacking football match, it’s simply hard to bet against Hansi Flick. You could look at the question in two different ways.
What can Barcelona do in the short term to put themselves in a position to win the Champions League next year, versus what can they do to build a sustainable model that guarantees consistency in the competition for years to come. In the end, in such a cut-throat event, luck will always play a role. Barcelona would be wise to not directly compare themselves to PSG and Bayern Munich.
First of all, money matters. PSG is basically a bank that prints money, while Bayern Munich’s success and financial firepower is a result of a deliberate 50 + 1 business model maintains fan control, while allowing for plenty of private investment at the same time. Barcelona simply don’t have the capabilities of either, and probably won’t for some time.