Hansi Flick has achieved a new milestone at Barcelona, surpassing the record for rounds spent in first place in La Liga under previous managers. The German coach has now overseen 61 rounds at the top of the standings, breaking the previous record held by Terry Venables, who spent 60 rounds in first place.
Flick has accomplished this feat in just 81 total rounds managing Barcelona, having completed only two full seasons with the club. Among the most successful managers in Barcelona's history, Flick now ranks in the top five for matches spent leading the team in the league championship.
The next target for Flick is the record held by Rinus Michels, the Dutch manager who spent 63 rounds in first place at Barcelona. This represents the immediate benchmark for Flick to surpass.
Barcelona maintained its perfect record in the 2026/2027 La Liga season with a 4-2 victory over Levante on Sunday at Estadio Ciudad de Valencia. The win marked the club's fifth consecutive victory to start the campaign, keeping Barcelona atop the standings.
Lamine Yamal scored twice for Barcelona, while Xavi Espart and Karim Adeyemi each added one goal. Adeyemi's goal in the 90+3rd minute sealed the victory. Ivan Romero and Roger Brugue scored for Levante.
Barcelona had built a comfortable 3-0 lead before Levante scored twice, in the 79th and 88th minutes, to make the match competitive. Despite the late pressure, Barcelona secured the three points.
Manager Flick acknowledged defensive lapses in the match. He did not overlook the two goals conceded by goalkeeper Joan Garcia and recognized his team's mistakes during the encounter.
Barcelona's five consecutive victories to begin the season matches a pattern the club has achieved five times this century. Previous streaks of five consecutive wins at the start of a season occurred under Pep Guardiola in 2009/2010, Tito Vilanova in 2012/2013, Tata Martino in 2013/2014, Ernesto Valverde in 2017/2018, and during Flick's first season at the club.
Flick is pursuing the record for consecutive victories at the start of a season, which stands at seven wins. Tata Martino achieved this mark during the 2013/2014 season, and Flick matched it during his first season with Barcelona. The club's current streak of five victories leaves two wins needed to equal that historical benchmark.