Bernal Sets His Sights on a Regular Role in Flick’s Midfield

FC Barcelona’s midfield picture for the coming season has a new and vocal presence at its centre. Marc Bernal, the 19-year-old who spent the opening stretch of last campaign working his way back from a serious knee injury, has stated with notable clarity that his objective for the new season is to establish himself as a regular starter under Hansi Flick – not merely to contribute from the bench.

The comments were made in an interview and reported by Mundo Deportivo, offering the clearest public signal yet of Bernal’s mindset as preseason builds towards the competitive calendar.

“My objective is to try to reach my best possible level and play as many minutes as possible so I can help the team.”

“I see myself as a starter. Everyone has to have confidence in themselves and in everything they can give and contribute to the team.”

Bernal attributed the statement to himself in the Mundo Deportivo interview, framing his ambition not as entitlement but as the kind of self-belief required to compete at this level – a distinction that matters when the midfield roster is as deep as Barcelona’s.

The confidence carries statistical weight behind it. According to the primary source, Bernal made 33 appearances across all competitions last season and scored five goals – numbers that demonstrate his capacity to contribute beyond the defensive screening work that defines his positional profile. That tally came despite a carefully managed return from injury, which makes it a reasonable foundation for the expanded role he is now openly targeting. Frenkie de Jong’s fitness situation adds further relevance to Bernal’s timing: an extended absence for the Dutchman would pull Bernal from competition for minutes into genuine necessity.

Bernal also made the team’s collective ambition explicit, stating that winning the Champions League remains the permanent north star – a trophy, he noted, that shapes every training session. That framing is worth noting: a player positioning himself as a starter while simultaneously placing the team’s ceiling above personal achievement is exactly the language Flick tends to reward with trust.

For a La Masia product navigating his path into Flick’s plans during preseason, the coming weeks of training and friendlies will be the real test of that confidence. Bernal sees himself in the eleven. Convincing the manager of that – through performance rather than assertion – is the task that now defines his summer.