Barcelona are back-to-back Spanish champions under Hansi Flick after beating Real Madrid 2-0 in El Clásico on Sunday, moving 14 points clear at the top with just three games to play.
Two early goals from Marcus Rashford and Ferran Torres were all Barcelona needed on a day when Flick was present on the sidelines despite the death of his father being announced shortly before kickoff. Players from both teams wore black armbands and there was a moment of silence before kickoff.
Barcelona’s players and coaches went wild at the full-time whistle and celebrated on the field in front of fans after shutting out archrivals Madrid, while Flick thanked the supporters in his postmatch interview as well as the team, which he called a “family.”
Shortly after, Barça’s players were all given a miniature version of the LaLiga trophy before the real prize was given to the team and lifted in front of a raucous Camp Nou for the second season in a row.
The win marked just the second time in the history of LaLiga that the result of the Clásico has directly awarded one of the two teams the league title.
The only previous time it happened was back in 1932, when a 2-2 draw between the sides enabled Madrid to clinch the title.
After going three years without winning LaLiga, Barça have now won three of the past four titles, while former Bayern Munich and Germany coach Flick, who replaced Xavi Hernández in 2024, has lifted the trophy in both of his seasons as Barça boss.
It is the 29th time the Blaugrana have won LaLiga. Only Madrid (36) have won it more often, with Atlético Madrid (11) a long way back in third.
Barça have now won five trophies since Flick took charge, with the club also lifting the Spanish Supercopa in each of his two seasons and the Copa del Rey last year.
The team has also scored a goal in 55 straight games, second only behind the dominant Barcelona team of 2012-13 that scored in 64 straight.
However, Flick’s side came up short in Europe, losing in the Champions League semifinal to Inter Milan last season and then to Atlético in the quarterfinal this year.
But while success on the continental stage remains elusive to Flick’s team, its authority on the domestic stage is undeniable.
After losing to Madrid in the Clásico in October at the Bernabeu, Barça were actually five points adrift of Los Blancos at the top of the table.
They led the way again by December, opening up a four-point lead after Madrid won just one of five league games — results which would ultimately lead to the sacking of Madrid coach Xabi Alonso after his side lost the Spanish Supercopa final to Barça.
The twists and turns continued. Barça lost to Real Sociedad in January and Girona in February, handing back the initiative to Madrid, who returned to the summit following an eight-game winning run in the league.
Madrid could not maintain that form, though, and after Alvaro Arbeloa’s side lost to Osasuna, Getafe and Mallorca and drew with Girona, Barça moved into what proved to be an unassailable nine-point lead with seven games to play.
Further dropped points against Real Betis allowed Barça to extend their advantage even more, with last weekend’s win over Osasuna, their 10th in a row in the league, temporarily moving them 14 points clear.
Madrid cut that lead back to 11 points by beating Espanyol on May 3, delaying Barça’s title celebrations in the process, but they could not prevent them finally ending the race Sunday.
The result marks the second season in a row in which Madrid have failed to win a trophy in any competition.–ESPN
