Barca stroll to their 26th LaLiga title
MADRID • Barcelona may yet prove that they are the best team in Europe this season, but they are indisputably the best in Spain after wrapping up their fourth LaLiga title in five years and 26th overall on Saturday.
After beating Levante 1-0 at home, thanks to substitute Lionel Messi's 34th league goal of the term to take an unassailable nine-point lead over Atletico Madrid at the top of the table with three games to spare, the title race, in truth, has been a procession for the Catalan giants in recent history.
To put things into perspective, Real Madrid, who look set to finish a second consecutive season trailing the champions by double figures in terms of points, have now won the league only once in seven years.
But the faults of the Madrid clubs are not of Barca's doing, whose dominance of Spanish football was started by Pep Guardiola, consolidated under the late Tito Vilanova and Luis Enrique, and now cemented by Ernesto Valverde.
And, at the heart of their hegemony - having been crowned kings of Spain eight times in 11 years - lies one seminal figure: Messi.
Valverde's men, who celebrated their triumph with a lap of honour while wearing T-shirts bearing the slogan "Eight out of 11, the extraordinary seems normal", know that with their talismanic captain, anything is possible.
Hailing him as "the centre of all our successes", the Barca coach said: "It's obvious that while he has been at Barca, the club have won a glut of trophies and league titles.
"If I had to give a name above anyone else, it has to be his. He marks our style and his competitive drive pushes everyone else forward.
"He has to stay active and he scores goals everywhere he goes and he has won us this title."
Sergio Busquets, who along with Gerard Pique and Messi are the only surviving members of Guardiola's historic treble-winning team of 2009, also hailed the Argentina forward as the "best player in the world".
The Spain midfielder, who picked up his eighth league title at the Nou Camp, said: "Barcelona are a great club, but we have made Barca even greater. What we have done over the last years will go down in history."
Barcelona have taken the first step in their bid to win a third treble in a decade - Enrique's team swept all domestic honours in 2016.
After their Champions League semi-final against Liverpool - the first leg in Spain will take place on Wednesday - when they will be bidding to reach the final of Europe's premier club competition for the first time since 2015, Valencia stand between them and the King's Cup, with the final on May 25.
Having achieved their "main objective", Valverde now wants to close out their season with another historic treble.
The Spaniard said: "In the Champions League, we will face a really strong rival and, in the King's Cup, our opponent is improving."
Croatia midfielder Ivan Rakitic agreed, joking that while he "had a beer", the celebrations will "not go over the top" as there was more silverware on the line.
He added: "When we wake up tomorrow, we have to think about Liverpool, who have an incredible team and a brilliant coach."
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS
Barcelona wrapped up their 26th LaLiga title as Lionel Messi came off the bench to score the winner in a 1-0 victory over Levante on Saturday that could be the catalyst for treble success.
Look At These Goals from Lionel Messi in 2019 Season Too Much, Just Too Much ¡ ||HD|| - Duration: 9:01. Messi Magic™ 1,479,672 views
Barcelona 1 Levante 0: Messi goal secures LaLiga title as
Barcelona claimed their 13th Spanish Super Cup in style with a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Sevilla on Wednesday night in the second leg at the Camp Nou, giving the Catalonians a whopping 5-0
Real Madrid stroll to an easy win as they put pressure on
Barcelona are closing in on their eighth LaLiga title in 11 years after Clement Lenglet and Jordi Alba both scored in a 2-1 win over Real Sociedad on Saturday. The victory means Barca only have to
Barça stroll to comfortable victory with title on the brink
Worries that a Barcelona stroll to the title will be boring to watch are not on Ernesto Valverde's mind after his team's latest big win en route to reclaiming their LaLiga crown. ( marca.com ) submitted 1 year ago by scadonl
Messi Secures Barcelona 26th LaLiga Title For His Personal 10th
Barcelona will win La Liga on Wednesday if Atletico Madrid lose to Valencia after a 2-0 victory over Alaves gave them a 12-point lead at the top of the table. Goals from Carles Aleña and a Luis Suarez penalty in the second half gave Barça a comfortable win.
Barcelona stroll to Super Cup title - MARCA English
Barca stroll to their 26th LaLiga title MADRID • Barcelona may yet prove that they are the best team in Europe this season, but they are indisputably the best in Spain after wrapping up their fourth LaLiga title in five years and 26th overall on Saturday.
Worries that a Barcelona stroll to the title will be - reddit
Apr 20, 2016 · B arcelona bounced back from their worst run of La Liga defeats for 13 years in emphatic fashion as Luis Suarez scored four in an 8-0 thrashing of Deportivo la Coruna on Wednesday. Ivan Rakitic, Lionel Messi, Marc Bartra and Neymar were also on target as Barca reasserted their control on the Spanish title race.
Barça celebrates the 2018/19 LaLiga title at Camp Nou - YouTube
Barca stroll to their 26th LaLiga title, Football News & Top
A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on April 29, 2019, with the headline 'Barca stroll to their 26th LaLiga title'. Print Edition | Subscribe.
Barca stroll to their 26th LaLiga title - theworldnews.net
Messi's first Barca title came in 2005 when he was 17 years old and he was also a fringe player when he collected his second La Liga medal a year later. But he has been the talisman behind their last eight triumphs, which Barca's players celebrated by wearing T-shirts with the slogan 'Eight out of 11, the extraordinary seems normal'.
LaLiga: Barcelona race towards eighth title in 11-years - Red
MADRID • Barcelona may yet prove that they are the best team in Europe this season, but they are indisputably the best in Spain after wrapping up their fourth LaLiga title in five years and 26th overall on Saturday.
After beating Levante 1-0 at home, thanks to substitute Lionel Messi's 34th league goal of the term to take an unassailable nine-point lead over Atletico Madrid at the top of the table with three games to spare, the title race, in truth, has been a procession for the Catalan giants in recent history.
To put things into perspective, Real Madrid, who look set to finish a second consecutive season trailing the champions by double figures in terms of points, have now won the league only once in seven years.
But the faults of the Madrid clubs are not of Barca's doing, whose dominance of Spanish football was started by Pep Guardiola, consolidated under the late Tito Vilanova and Luis Enrique, and now cemented by Ernesto Valverde.
And, at the heart of their hegemony - having been crowned kings of Spain eight times in 11 years - lies one seminal figure: Messi.
Valverde's men, who celebrated their triumph with a lap of honour while wearing T-shirts bearing the slogan "Eight out of 11, the extraordinary seems normal", know that with their talismanic captain, anything is possible.
24
Lionel Messi has scored 24 goals as a substitute in LaLiga, more than any other player in the 21st century.Â
17
Points won by Barca from 34 goals scored by Messi, the most in the league this season.
Hailing him as "the centre of all our successes", the Barca coach said: "It's obvious that while he has been at Barca, the club have won a glut of trophies and league titles.
"If I had to give a name above anyone else, it has to be his. He marks our style and his competitive drive pushes everyone else forward.
"He has to stay active and he scores goals everywhere he goes and he has won us this title."
Sergio Busquets, who along with Gerard Pique and Messi are the only surviving members of Guardiola's historic treble-winning team of 2009, also hailed the Argentina forward as the "best player in the world".
The Spain midfielder, who picked up his eighth league title at the Nou Camp, said: "Barcelona are a great club, but we have made Barca even greater. What we have done over the last years will go down in history."
Barcelona have taken the first step in their bid to win a third treble in a decade - Enrique's team swept all domestic honours in 2016.
After their Champions League semi-final against Liverpool - the first leg in Spain will take place on Wednesday - when they will be bidding to reach the final of Europe's premier club competition for the first time since 2015, Valencia stand between them and the King's Cup, with the final on May 25.
Having achieved their "main objective", Valverde now wants to close out their season with another historic treble.
The Spaniard said: "In the Champions League, we will face a really strong rival and, in the King's Cup, our opponent is improving."
Croatia midfielder Ivan Rakitic agreed, joking that while he "had a beer", the celebrations will "not go over the top" as there was more silverware on the line.
He added: "When we wake up tomorrow, we have to think about Liverpool, who have an incredible team and a brilliant coach."
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS
Barcelona wrapped up their 26th LaLiga title as Lionel Messi came off the bench to score the winner in a 1-0 victory over Levante on Saturday that could be the catalyst for treble success.
Look At These Goals from Lionel Messi in 2019 Season Too Much, Just Too Much ¡ ||HD|| - Duration: 9:01. Messi Magic™ 1,479,672 views
Barcelona 1 Levante 0: Messi goal secures LaLiga title as
Barcelona claimed their 13th Spanish Super Cup in style with a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Sevilla on Wednesday night in the second leg at the Camp Nou, giving the Catalonians a whopping 5-0
Real Madrid stroll to an easy win as they put pressure on
Barcelona are closing in on their eighth LaLiga title in 11 years after Clement Lenglet and Jordi Alba both scored in a 2-1 win over Real Sociedad on Saturday. The victory means Barca only have to
Barça stroll to comfortable victory with title on the brink
Worries that a Barcelona stroll to the title will be boring to watch are not on Ernesto Valverde's mind after his team's latest big win en route to reclaiming their LaLiga crown. ( marca.com ) submitted 1 year ago by scadonl
Messi Secures Barcelona 26th LaLiga Title For His Personal 10th
Barcelona will win La Liga on Wednesday if Atletico Madrid lose to Valencia after a 2-0 victory over Alaves gave them a 12-point lead at the top of the table. Goals from Carles Aleña and a Luis Suarez penalty in the second half gave Barça a comfortable win.
Barcelona stroll to Super Cup title - MARCA English
Barca stroll to their 26th LaLiga title MADRID • Barcelona may yet prove that they are the best team in Europe this season, but they are indisputably the best in Spain after wrapping up their fourth LaLiga title in five years and 26th overall on Saturday.
Worries that a Barcelona stroll to the title will be - reddit
Apr 20, 2016 · B arcelona bounced back from their worst run of La Liga defeats for 13 years in emphatic fashion as Luis Suarez scored four in an 8-0 thrashing of Deportivo la Coruna on Wednesday. Ivan Rakitic, Lionel Messi, Marc Bartra and Neymar were also on target as Barca reasserted their control on the Spanish title race.
Barça celebrates the 2018/19 LaLiga title at Camp Nou - YouTube
Barca stroll to their 26th LaLiga title, Football News & Top
A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on April 29, 2019, with the headline 'Barca stroll to their 26th LaLiga title'. Print Edition | Subscribe.
Barca stroll to their 26th LaLiga title - theworldnews.net
Messi's first Barca title came in 2005 when he was 17 years old and he was also a fringe player when he collected his second La Liga medal a year later. But he has been the talisman behind their last eight triumphs, which Barca's players celebrated by wearing T-shirts with the slogan 'Eight out of 11, the extraordinary seems normal'.
LaLiga: Barcelona race towards eighth title in 11-years - Red
