Barcelona party at Camp Nou as fans celebrate dominant 'eight from 11' era in LaLiga

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Ben Hayward28 April 2019

Ivan Rakitic admitted he had drunk a beer and that he was going to have another. Gerard Pique necked Champagne (or was it Cava?) from a huge bottle. Many of the players brought their children onto the pitch. Camp Nou was a big Barcelona party on Saturday night.

It was the first time Barca had won LaLiga in front of their own fans since 2010. That was the second title during Pep Guardiola’s spell as coach; six more have been added since and for the celebrations at Camp Nou, the players wore T-shirts which read “eight from 11”.

“Eight out of 11 will be very difficult to see again,” said Sergio Busquets, who has been here for all of them. “What we have done is historic.”

It is, and yet Barcelona could have won them all. In 2011-12, Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid beat Guardiola’s great side to the title by claiming a record 100 points.

In 2013-14, Atletico edged out the Catalans on the final day as Lionel Messi saw a strike incorrectly ruled offside and in 2016-17, Zinedine Zidane’s Real won it with perhaps the strongest squad ever assembled.

That is what it has taken to stop Barcelona in this era and this was their 26th league title, leaving them just seven behind Real overall. In 2004, Los Blancos led their rivals by 29 to 16.

Messi had scored twice against Real Valladolid in 2010 and the Argentine hit the winner against Levante after coming off the bench as Barca won it this time.

“When he goes on to the pitch, things happen,” Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu said. “Messi is the one who leads and he has magic.” And former club chief Joan Gaspart told Cadena SER: “If there’s one thing I’m proud of it’s that I signed him...”

Gerard Pique and his Barcelona team-mates celebrated sealing the LaLiga title with their families
AFP/Getty Images

Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president Luis Morales was whistled by the Catalan fans after the match when his name was announced, but thanks to him, Barca were able to celebrate with the trophy, something that has not occurred in recent years in LaLiga.

“Que la levante Messi,” Mundo Deportivo said, using a play on words to include the name of Barca’s rivals last night. “Let Messi lift it.” And he did, to huge cheers from the fans inside the stadium. This was his 10th title - another record - but his first as captain.

A spectacular light show with music followed, along with a firework display, as the players embarked on a lap of honour, saluting the fans and savouring the moment with their families.

“To see the fans celebrating like that, at home, is amazing,” coach Ernesto Valverde said afterwards. “The fans have to be happy. The season is a success up until now: we want to complete it, now we can talk about achieving a double. We have one final, let’s see if we can go to another.”

Barca face Valencia in the Copa del Rey final on May 25 and meet Liverpool over two legs, starting on Wednesday at Camp Nou, for a place in the Champions League showpiece in Madrid on June 1.

“All the trophies are exciting,” Bartomeu said, and he admitted: “The objective is the treble.”

It was a 10th domestic Spanish title for Argentine superstar Lionel Messi
Getty Images

The Catalan club won a treble in 2008-09 and another in 2014-15. Claiming a third would be historic and would also make up for recent disappointments in Europe after successive quarter-final exits for Barca over the past three seasons.

Real Madrid won the Champions League in each of those three campaigns, but even Zidane admitted this week that his target for next season is LaLiga.

“I have always said it, for me the most important one is La Liga, it’s the day to day, and the toughest one to win.”

For Los Blancos, it has become especially difficult in this era as Barca and Messi have made it look easy and almost routine. With the Argentine at perhaps a greater level than ever, it will take something special for that to change in the coming seasons.

In the meantime, this one is not over yet and for fans of the Catalan club, this is a historic time to be enjoyed. And there should still be more to come.

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