FC Barcelona has been crowned Spanish football champion for the 27th time. The Catalans won their first LaLiga title since 2019 with a 4-2 (3-0) win in the Barcelona derby at Espanyol on Sunday night.
Star striker Robert Lewandowski (11th/40th) with his number 20 and 21 goals this season, Alejandro Balde (20th) and Jules Kounde (53rd) scored the goals for the new champion with German international goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen. Javier Puado (73′) and Joselu (90’+2′) scored for Espanyol.
With four games to go before the end of the season, Barca are 14 points ahead of arch-rivals and record champions Real Madrid, who beat Getafe FC 1-0 (0-0) on Saturday. When the last title was won four years ago, seven-time world footballer Lionel Messi was still the leader in Barca’s ranks. The championship success is also the first big Triumph Barca icon Xavi (43), who has been working as the Catalans’ head coach since November 2021. In the cup semifinals he failed with Barcelona because of the eventual winners Real.
Ter Stegen has been the mainstay for Barca this season. He had already extended his club record by keeping 25 clean sheets in 33 games this season, and another clean sheet could equal the La Liga record. In the 1993/94 season, Spain keeper Francisco Liano made 26 saves from Deportivo La Coruna.
Barca icon leaves the club
Before the derby at Espanyol, the goalkeeper conceded eleven goals. Liano also shares the record for the fewest goals conceded (18 each) in a 38-game season, along with Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid/2015/16).
Lewandowski, a former Bayern Munich goalscorer, won the championship in his first season. In 30 LaLiga games, the Pole scored 21 goals for the prestigious club.
However, FC Barcelona loses another club icon at the end of the season. Captain Sergio Busquets is leaving the champions after 18 years. Busquets belonged to the golden generation of the Catalans around Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta.
Busquets, now 34, came to Barcelona as a youth in 2005 and won the Champions League three times. In total, the midfielder made 719 competitive appearances for the Blaugrana.