Barcelonans took to the streets by the tens of thousands on Monday to celebrate FC Barcelona's men's and women's Spanish championship titles. Xavi Hernandez's side beat Espanyol on Sunday to claim the club's 27th league title and first since 2019, while Barca's women's team claimed their fourth consecutive Liga F victory at the end of April.
Some fans chanted the name of Lionel Messi, whose departure from Paris Saint-Germain is announced at the end of the season, in the hope that Barça can bring him "home" this summer, at 36 years old. The president of FC Barcelona, Joan Laporta, assured on Monday that he would do "everything possible" to bring the Argentine star back to the club.
💙❤ The streets of Barcelona have been tinged with blaugrana for several hours. Amazing atmosphere! Thanks #culers! pic.twitter.com/voDQ7LJV1L
— FC Barcelona (@fcbarcelona_fra) May 15, 2023
The players, perched on two open-top buses, drove from Camp Nou to the city's Arc de Triomphe, eight kilometres away, between two rows of cheering supporters. Players from both teams wore T-shirts proclaiming "La Liga is ours, the future too".
"It's a source of pride to share this (with the fans) and to have them closer than ever," goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen told club television. In front of the buses of the two teams, another bus spouting pop songs to set the mood opened the way, in the middle of the streets filled with blue and red smoke, the colors of Barça.
If the men were eliminated prematurely from the Champions League, the women on the other hand will play the final of the queen competition on June 3 in Eindhoven against the Germans of Wolfsburg. "We tell the fans that we are celebrating today, but that our minds are set on Eindhoven and that we will give everything, and even more, to make them proud," said Alexia Putellas, two-time women's Ballon d'Or.