According to a report by Barca Universal on Thursday, November 5, 2026, former Arsenal centre-back Shkodran Mustafi has visited Barcelona's training facilities to gain insight into Hansi Flick's coaching philosophy and understand how the German manager works with his first-team squad.

SPORT journalist Carlos Monfort reports that Mustafi travelled to the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper while spending several days in the Catalan capital. During his stay, the 34-year-old former Germany international took the opportunity to observe a training session conducted by Flick and his players.

The visit happened one day after Mustafi watched Barcelona's Juvenil A team take on Aston Villa in a UEFA Youth League fixture. Flick subsequently extended a personal invitation to the former defender to attend the senior team's training session.

Marcus Sorg, Flick's assistant, welcomed Mustafi to the training complex and showed him around the facilities. The former Arsenal defender was also given the opportunity to watch closely as Flick and his technical staff organised and supervised the team's training programme.

Following his retirement from professional football in 2024, Mustafi moved into coaching, initially working with Germany's Under-17 national team. He later became an assistant to Antonio Di Salvo with the country's Under-21 national side.

Although he is only 34, Mustafi is still at an early stage of his coaching career and continues to develop his knowledge of the profession. Visiting Barcelona allowed him to gain valuable experience by observing the methods of one of Europe's highly regarded managers.

He is not the first coach to visit Barcelona to learn from Flick. Former Borussia Dortmund boss Edin Terzic previously visited the club's training facilities in February, accompanied by his assistant, Sebastian Geppert.

That visit took place a few months before Terzic was appointed manager of Athletic Club, with Geppert subsequently becoming part of his coaching team.

Flick's success at Barcelona since his arrival in 2024 has made his coaching methods increasingly attractive to other managers. The German has guided the Catalan giants to five trophies over two complete seasons while introducing an energetic, attacking approach that has strengthened the team's performances.

Barcelona are scheduled to play again on Sunday, travelling to the Riyadh Air Metropolitano for a crucial La Liga showdown against Atletico Madrid.