Alejandro Balde wore a visibly serious expression after Hansi Flick moved Frenkie de Jong to right-back in the second half of Barcelona’s 2-1 win at Atletico Madrid. New footage of the moment has emerged two days after the match.
Barcelona ground out a valuable victory at the Metropolitano, but the game also produced a telling moment on the Catalan bench that only came to light later.
Flick surprised his players by fielding De Jong at right-back. He leaned on the Dutch midfielder’s experience and tactical reading to cover the team’s problems down the right flank.
According to Catalan media reports, the cameras of broadcaster DAZN captured a conversation between Flick and De Jong before the substitution. The German coach walked over to his player and asked whether he was ready to fill in at right-back. De Jong accepted the task with a smile and raised no objection.
The news spread quickly once De Jong passed it on to his team-mates. He told Gavi and Wojciech Szczesny that he would be playing on the right of the defence, and they reacted with disbelief. Tonkara had to explain what was happening to Alex Campos, while several players followed the exchange closely to catch the details of the surprise call.
Balde’s reaction
Balde witnessed the whole exchange. The left-back kept a serious expression throughout De Jong’s conversation about his new role, appearing to wonder why the coach had passed him over.
What was going through Balde’s mind remains unclear. The moment carried extra weight, however, given his recent situation, as his standing in Flick’s plans has slipped. Speculation about his future has swirled for weeks, with his name linked to a possible exit from Barcelona in the winter transfer window.
Flick, meanwhile, has shown once again that he is willing to shuffle his players into unfamiliar positions. He trusted De Jong’s ability and experience to handle the right-back role against Atletico Madrid.
The gamble paid off. Barcelona left the Metropolitano with three points, and the decision also produced one of the most widely shared moments from the Catalan bench.