Welcome to FC Barcelona, where each summer writes itself into the club's ever-growing soap opera, and the plot hardly changes — only that the personalities surrounding each narrative change.

As though hundreds had not happened, it was all smiles from reinstated captain Marc Andre Ter Stegen after Hansi Flick’s charges dismantled Como in the Joan Gamper Trophy match on Sunday. Still, it takes no calling out to understand that the situation is nothing to smile about.

Barcelona sealed the Joan Gamper Trophy thanks to braces from Lamine Yamal and Fermín López, while Raphinha also had a hand in two goals. Marcus Rashford, who started in the absence of Robert Lewandowski, registered an assist.

It was a delightful evening for Cules, who made their way into Montjuïc to witness the returning stars from their trip to Japan and South Korea, as they wrapped up preparations for the new season.

The club won all four pre-season games, scored 20 goals, and kept two clean sheets, both of which came in their final two games against Daegu FC and Cesc Fàbregas’s Como, the latter of whom was expected to give their biggest test but fell flat.

Despite the positive summer, which also saw the arrival of important players like Marcus Rashford and Joan García, as well as a new shirt number for their star player, Lamine Yamal, now wearing 10, there were times of surprises and controversies.

It is Barcelona. In recent years, the club has never failed to add an episode to its never-ending drama series, and this summer was no exception.

From failed pre-season trips to the captain stripped of the armband, here is how Barcelona’s summer became clouded before they managed to manoeuvre and achieve stability ahead of the kickoff of the new season.

Five Big Dramas From Barcelona’s Summer

1. Nico Williams’ Saga

It was almost certain that Nico Williams would become a new Barcelona winger after an agreement was reached with his agents over a move from Athletic Bilbao, leaving the activation of his release clause as the final step to completing the deal.

The 22-year-old even rejected an approach from Bayern Munich, stating Barcelona as his priority, after a move that fell through last summer was rejuvenated, despite Joan Laporta having said at the time that the club would not return for him.

However, Bilbao was reluctant to let the player leave and even threatened to report Barcelona’s financial misdeeds if the club did not desist from activating Nico’s release clause. But Barcelona remained adamant.

Out of the blue, Williams changed his stance, extending his contract with Athletic Club until 2035, with a new release clause of €100 million inserted into the agreement, which can only be activated starting from the next window.

Several reports suggested that the player changed his decision due to predicted registration issues, while opinion differs, with some choosing to believe he never truly wanted the move.

Joan Laporta also remarked that Nico Williams is a Real Madrid fan.

2. Failed Pre-season Trips

Barcelona’s 2025 pre-season trip to Japan was anything but a smooth takeoff. The squad’s departure from El Prat Airport faced repeated setbacks, turning a routine flight into a drawn-out saga.

The club announced on 23 July that it would not travel the next day. Later in the evening, one of the companies involved in logistics accused another of “deliberate fraud.”

Eventually, the club went back on their decision and tried to leave Spain on Thursday, but multiple takeoff attempts failed.

The first scheduled takeoff was aborted due to a technical issue with the chartered aircraft, forcing players and staff to remain grounded while engineers worked on the fault.

Hours later, a second attempt was halted when fresh concerns emerged over the plane’s readiness, prompting the club to seek an alternative arrangement.

The delays stretched over several hours, leaving the touring party stranded and reshuffling their arrival plans in Japan. Media reports captured images of frustrated players passing the time in the lounge, while club officials scrambled to salvage the itinerary without compromising safety.

Barcelona then tried to organize a friendly for Sunday, the 27th, when they were scheduled to play Vissel Kobe in Japan.

Eventually, they secured a replacement aircraft and finally departed on Friday, well behind schedule, arriving in Japan with little time to recover before their first commitments, which they ultimately won 3–1.

3. Iñigo Martínez’s Shocking Exit

Although the Spaniard had a clause in his contract that allowed him to leave the club if a suitable offer came in, not many anticipated an exit this summer.

Iñigo Martínez was considered one of the pillars of the club, not only as a player but also as a leader and mentor to the young core. He was a well-respected figure in the squad.

The centre-back, who joined as a free agent in the summer of 2023, was heavily involved by Hansi Flick last season, featuring in 46 games across all competitions, scoring three goals and providing five assists.

He also made vital defensive contributions, while his maturity gave the manager an easy landing in his first season, leading to one of the most productive campaigns for the club in a decade.

Martínez’s move to Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia came as a shock even to the club and his teammates. Although it does free up space for the registration of another player, he is not seen as a bargain, as far as the club is concerned.

4. Marc-André ter Stegen | The Captain Stripped of Armband

Speculatively, there had been a bust-up between the goalkeeper and Hansi Flick when the latter was in charge of the German national team, where he first managed Marc-André ter Stegen.

The resentment remained and was escalated when the goalkeeper refused to sign a medical green light that would deem him unregistered, so the club could secure the registration of new goalkeeper Joan García.

Hansi Flick had told him earlier in the summer that he was not considered part of the plans moving forward and that Joan García was the new No. 1 while his backup would be Wojciech Szczęsny. But the German insists on staying.

Later in June, the goalkeeper announced via an open letter that he would need back surgery following a ruptured patellar tendon, and estimated his own recovery time at about three months. However, the club believes his recovery period will likely extend to 4–5 months.

As a result, the club proposed that he sign a medical report to validate his absence with La Liga so that 80 per cent of his full salary could be used to register new signings, but he refused.

The club briefly stripped him of the captaincy during this period due to the dispute, though he has eventually signed the necessary authorization and been reinstated as captain.

As he was all smiles on Sunday, not only his teammates or the club, but the entire world watching knows it is very ugly behind the scenes.

5. Player Registration Palava

It’s a brand new summer, but the same old story for Barcelona.

A few days before their first league game of the season, the Catalan giants have yet to register a majority of their new signings despite spending just €27 million this summer.

Marcus Rashford and Wojciech Szczęsny joined as free agents, while the fee was incurred on the procurement of Joan García from Espanyol for €25 million and Roony Bardghji for €2 million from Copenhagen.

The departure of Iñigo Martínez is the only one that freed up space for new registrations, but the now Al Nassr man’s contract is not enough to register a major player, while 80 per cent of Marc-André ter Stegen’s contract remains the major source that permits them new entries.

The delay caused by the German goalkeeper could see some of these players miss their La Liga curtain-raiser away to Mallorca on Saturday, although they are all expected to be registered before the end of the summer.

Conclusion

At Barcelona, the script rarely changes; only the cast and scenes evolve. Each summer brings fresh headlines, yet the underlying chaos feels like a sequel we’ve seen before.

From transfer sagas to boardroom battles, from contract disputes to registration races, the drama, as always, is relentless. What should be a pre-season of calm and preparation instead becomes a theatre of uncertainty.

For a club built on beautiful football, the off-pitch turbulence has become just as defining as the football itself — and, it seems, the next episode is always already in the making.