The 5 nominees are out: Arteta (Arsenal), De la Fuente (Spain), Emery (Aston Villa), Kompany (Bayern), Luis Enrique (PSG). Hansi Flick isn't on there. Which is wild given what he actually did - back-to-back La Liga titles, 94 points (a RECORD), 95 goals scored, unbeaten at home the entire season. He also delivered Barcelona's first-ever domestic treble the year before. He even finished runner-up for FIFA's The Best Coach award in Dec 2025, behind only Luis Enrique, so it's not like he wasn't already in the conversation.
Best explanation I've seen: every nominee who did make it either won a major European trophy (Enrique - back-to-back Champions Leagues) or carried a country deep into a global tournament (De la Fuente - World Cup winner, conceded ONE goal all tournament). Flick's Barcelona dominated domestically but didn't have that European/international storyline this season, and it seems to have cost him.
Feels like a real "which matters more" debate - pure domestic dominance vs continental/international achievement. Where do people land on this? De la Fuente feels like the obvious favorite to actually win it given the World Cup, but curious if people think Flick got legitimately screwed here. https://athletestyles.com/ballon-dor-coach-of-the-year-2026-nominees-flick-snub/
