Barça took four years to regain its crown. Thanks to its 4-2 victory on the pitch of Espanyol on Sunday night, the Catalan club was crowned champion of Spain four days before the end of the season.

For the 27th time in its history, FC Barcelona is at the top of Spanish football. It was the first major title for coach Xavi, who had previously only won one Spanish Super Cup since returning to the Blaugrana bench in November 2021. And it is also the Catalan club's first Spanish league title since Lionel Messi's departure to Paris Saint-Germain in 2021.

Real far behind

This triumph was mainly built with the manner: Barça dislodged Real Madrid from the first place in the ranking just before the parenthesis of the World Cup in Qatar, then did not let go until the coronation. The "White House", second with fourteen points behind, can no longer catch up with its rival.

On Sunday, Xavi's men could not count on a poor performance from Real (winner of Getafe 1-0 on Saturday), and therefore had to finish the job themselves. Barça folded the game from the start, with a first goal from the right knee by Robert Lewandowski in the 11th minute after a delivery from Alejandro Balde, who was then at the conclusion of a Pedri center at the second post (20th) to score his first goal in the colors of the Blaugrana first team.

The Polish goleador, top scorer in La Liga, even offered himself a double in the 40th, and Jules Koundé also opened his account at Barça in the 53rd. Espanyol still saved the honour by Puado (73rd) and then by Joselu in extra time (90th+2).

Espanyol in the fight for maintenance

Out of respect for Espanyol, neighbors and historical rivals of the Blaugranas who are fighting for maintenance, the trophy will not be awarded to Barça players until next Saturday, when Real Sociedad receive them at Camp Nou (21 p.m.). It will be the last that Sergio Busquets will raise: the iconic captain announced on Wednesday that he would leave the club this summer at the end of his contract, without specifying his future destination.

This title is the consecration of a Barça that had not ceased to disillusion since its last coronation in 2019. In four years, the Catalans have sunk into a whirlwind mixing waltz of coaches (four since 2019), legal scandals, economic crisis and disappointing sporting records, with two consecutive eliminations in the group stage of the Champions League.

The club is still shaken by internal unrest: the scandal of alleged corruption of referees has latent the spring of the Blaugranas, who still have to release more than 200 million euros for next season. The work at Camp Nou and the temporary transfer to Montjuic next season will also deprive Barça of a significant shortfall, and La Liga could penalize the club if it does not fit into the nails of financial fair play.

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