Gavi made his much anticipated return for Barcelona after nearly a year on the sidelines

Barcelona beat Sevilla 5-1 over the weekend but, perhaps more importantly, it marked the return of Gavi who spent nearly a year sidelined after suffering an ACL tear.

The injury came while on international duty and despite many of the team's flaws under Xavi last season, the loss of Gavi was one Barcelona were never truly able to overcome.

Gavi's return went almost as if it was scripted. With Barcelona already up by four, Hansi Flick decided it was the best time to give the young midfielder his eagerly anticipated re-debut. To do so, he brought off Pedri. In a kind gesture, Pedri, wearing the captain's armband, gave it to Gavi who entered amid a chorus of cheers from the Barcelona faithful.

True to his style, after only being on the pitch for about a minute, Gavi picked up a foul.

"I have been dreaming about this for many months and I am grateful to my teammates who made the porcess easire for me," Gavi said. "The hardest thing is not playing, watching from the outside. It's frustrating, it's tough. You have to enjoy every moment and it allows you to value the things you have. I feel fortunate to be back."

For someone who had the complete trust of Xavi, it must have been agonizing for Gavi to see the team struggle last season and not being able to do anything to help.

The return of the 20-year-old midfielder gives Hansi Flick another option, as well as the returns of Fermin Lopez and Dani Olmo, the latter who stayed on the bench.

Still, the occasion and what it meant to see Gavi return was something that stood out to the Barcelona boss.

"I am happy for this result and especially for Gavi," Flick said. "It's really amazing when you see the atmosphere in the stadium and the fans. It was goosebumps, unbelievable, and I like this."

Barcelona are going to be cautious with Gavi given the severity of the injury he is returning from. Even with Bayern Munich and Real Madrid being the next two matches on the docket for the Catalan side, expect Flick to manage Gavi's minutes and ease him back into the side.