Hansi Flick has given Barcelona something they lost years ago

I have been a Cule for more than 24 years now. When you think about it, that makes the better part of the 30 years I've spent on this planet. It also means Barcelona have been in my life longer than some of my friends, longer than all of my current work colleagues and even longer than my fiance. How surreal is that?

Funnily enough, many will tell you it's easy to be a Barcelona fan. They will tell you we're challenging for trophies practically every year, that we have star players in our squads and PR stronger than most. I mean, don't get me wrong, Barça are a big club; they will always be a big club. So we are privileged in that sense; no doubt about that. But for the past 10 years or so, we have also been on ice, constantly suffering.

Not only have we struggled financially due to the horrendous upper management which nearly bankrupted the club but have also only stayed relevant through Lionel Messi's otherworldly brilliance and the undying consistency of La Masia. And that's exactly the crux of the issue here —relevance.

You see, a big club like Barcelona will likely always been seen as a big club. Even at their lowest, Barça will still be... Barça. And as long as the name itself carries some weight, it will also carry some value. Or in our case, some relevance. But the club's misfortune in recent years has been layered. Our financial issues meant inability to compete in the market, which causes a domino effect.

No money means missing out on great talent in positions La Masia potentially can't fix, which means gaping holes in the squad, which means the coach potentially can't fully enact his vision, which means overreliance on club legends, which often translates to struggle. Struggle, obviously, (often) means no trophies and no competition, which brings us back to no money. You get the gist; it's an enchanted circle of doom.

But all of this would be common for a club which is a smaller brand than Barcelona. For us, these issues, if and when present, can have an even bigger impact. Note, however, we're talking about brands now. Being a brand is more about the business side of football than the pure sporting aspect of it. If a club like Barcelona lose their status - their relevance - in the football world, the knock-on effect is gigantic. And for years after Luis Enrique's MSN, Barcelona have slowly been losing their relevance, both as a club and as a brand.

Success was scarce. Not completely gone, of course, as coaches like Ernesto Valverde still brought some trophies to the table. But scarce nonetheless. Xavi Hernandez, too, dug them out of the black hole they had been in, laying the foundation for what's to come. This shouldn't be ignored.

But something was still missing; something impalpable. A feeling, a sensation. Something only Barcelona can make you feel. And this brings us back to this season and to Hansi Flick.

In the years past, especially at Blaugrana's peak under Pep Guardiola and a young Messi, teams often lost games against Barcelona even before stepping onto the pitch. They would see Messi warming up, Pep giving out final instructions, Catalan flags floating in the wind and the glorious chants reverberating across a packed Camp Nou and think to themselves: 'How do we beat these guys?' And most of the time, the answer would be a simple 'you don't'.

Don't get me wrong, nothing is guaranteed in football; teams have always found ways to hurt Barca. After all, no team is infallible. It's just the way sports work in general. But Barcelona felt larger than life and it gave them an innate advantage ahead of any clash. So even if they weren't in the best of forms or if they were on a rough patch, they still caused fear in their rivals' hearts. And that matters. A lot. It can even tip the scales in a relatively even match-up.

But when you think of Barcelona in the recent years, you just don't get this feeling. The brand name carried some relevance, sure, but rarely anyone felt the same fear when facing them anymore. The fans knew it. The club knew it. And ultimately, the opposition knew it, too. Until now, that is.

Apart from that dreaded run of horrendous form in November and December, Flick's Barcelona have been imperious all season long. But that also carried weight outside the football pitch; it gave us back the feeling and the sensation of superiority. But more importantly, with Flick's all-out style of high risk and high reward, it made rivals scared of facing Barça once more.

Everyone talked about how easy it should be to beat our high defensive line, even outright calling it 'suicidal'. But in spite of a seemingly glaring flaw in the system, no one wanted to face us. Why? Well, because they all knew Barcelona could beat anyone. Not only that but they also knew Barcelona could absolutely destroy and humble anyone. Of course, this didn't mean they were invincible. Their youth, their risky approach and ultimately squad depth issues made them vulnerable as well. Inter proved that in a painful way.

But all of that was also hardly a guarantee of any kind of success against the Catalan giants. Finally, after years of trial and error, several coaches, numerous unsuccessful multimillion signings and the departures of enough players to create a brand new club from scratch, Barcelona have finally done it; they have regained something they lost years ago - their relevance.

Obviously, to achieve great things, on top of a competent coach, you often need great players, too. And Barcelona have once again been blessed with the most talented youth core on the planet. Of course, talent is only half the story; Flick has managed not only to develop the youth but also maximise the whole squad, optimising their profiles to squeeze every last ounce of ability out of them.

The result? Well, the results speak for themselves. Barcelona are domestic treble winners and are looking into the future with optimism and glee. Confident. Powerful. And superior.

And their opponents? Let's just say they are now dreading meeting the Catalan machine on the other side of the pitch, just like in the good old days.

The Barcelona name once again has its meaning. It's not only relevant in the world of football but its reference point.

As it should be.