Barcelona registered a dominant 2-0 win over rivals Espanyol on Thursday as the Blaugrana clinched their 28th La Liga title.
Lamine Yamal scored an absolutely stunner in the 58th minute to hand the lead to the visitors before substitute Fermin Lopez doubled the lead with a late goal to seal the fixture and the title for Hansi Flick’s men.
It has been a sensational season for Barcelona as they defeated arch rivals Real Madrid twice to win the Spanish Super Cup and the Copa del Rey respectively. Now, they have also sealed the La Liga by doing the double over their primary title challengers.
Overall, it has been a great season for the Spanish giants and also for Flick, who in his first season has delivered three trophies. They also went down fighting in the Champions League semifinal.
Following the match, Yamal, who has been the heartthrob of every Barca fan, dropped a three-word message after winning the title. “Just the beginning,” the 17-year-old superstar told ESPN as a message to the fans.
“Winning LaLiga with Barça is incredible, but this is just the beginning of what we want to achieve. The message to supporters is this is just getting started. It’s impossible to tire of winning. I have it permanently on my mind,” he added.
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This is his second La Liga triumph after he was involved with the team back in 2022/23 season when he was only 15 years old. He is turning 18 in July and has already built a great resume filled with silverware.
What did Yamal say about his comparisons with Barcelona greats?
Yamal was one of the primary protagonists in Flick’s Barcelona this season. He netted 17 goals and provided 21 assists in 53 matches across competitions.
He stepped up in every competition this season, and therefore, the Barcelona fans are nominating him as the potential Ballon d’Or winner this year. Yamal has also been compared to past Barcelona greats Lionel Messi, Ronaldinho and Neymar. But the youngster remains unfazed by these comparisons.
“The objective is to achieve my own success,” he added. “I want to be myself, write my own story and be my own player.”
“I don’t look at other players. Of course I would love to have that level of success, Messi is incredible, for me the greatest ever, but I want to have my own career.”
The 17-year-old also credited former Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez during the La Liga celebrations. It was Xavi, who handed Yamal his debut for the senior team along with La Masia defender Pau Cubarsi.
“We are really grateful to Xavi because without him, none of this would have happened,” Yamal told Barça One.
“He’s the one that handed debuts to so many young players, and we want to thank him for that.”
Apart from this being Barcelona’s 28th La Liga title, they have also won 12 league titles in the 21st century, more than any other club in Spain. They are only behind Bayern Munich’s 18 titles in Europe’s top five leagues.
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