Barcelona players celebrate their 2022/23 title in the dressing room with Laporta (FCBarcelona_es)
"The league is in our hands, so is the future." That's the message on Barcelona's championship shirt - and it seems that despite the financial problems and question marks surrounding the club, the team truly believes that this is just the beginning of a good new era. Sunday's 2-4 victory over Espanyol in the derby secured the Catalans a 27th title with four games left to finish the season. And now, naturally, all eyes are on summer, and especially on one man: Leo Messi.
"We will do everything to bring Leo back," President Joan Laporta declared during the spontaneous festivities that continued into the night, ahead of the championship march later in the day. Laporta, who was filmed celebrating enthusiastically with the players in the dressing room, boasted that "we saved the club – both financially and sportingly. We went back to winning trophies, we brought the enjoyment back to the stands. And that's just the beginning."
The Leo Messi saga will continue to accompany the club in the near future, and the players are already sending him indirect and direct messages: Ronald Araujo even called his name during the celebrations in the dressing room, and posted it on social networks - which upset Barcelona fans even more.
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But Messi has not yet returned, and Barcelona's championship heroes are beginning to receive respect and recognition in their own right. Xavi won his first title as a manager after 8 titles as a player, and was humble when asked if "this is Xavi's league".
"It doesn't do me any good to hear that. It's not Xavi's league, it's Barcelona's league, the players who fought for this title. It's time to enjoy a beautiful season." But Xavi also did not forget to settle scores with the visitors, who were waiting for him in the corner, especially at the beginning of his career on the lines at Camp Nou. "A few things have been said about me.... They said we weren't training enough, that the team wasn't trained, not enough offensively... It hurt my ego, I admit. But what will they say now? I don't know anymore."
The hero of the second night was captain Sergio Busquets, who celebrated a ninth title, and will bid farewell to Barca in style at the end of the season, still leaving a taste of more for the fans. Like Laporta, Busquets is convinced the club has a bright future. "We laid the foundations for the future. This Barcelona deserves to be champions, and many more achievements await them in the future," he said with a smile. "I wanted to leave after winning trophies. We had wonderful years here, many great years. I'm happy."
Laporta also congratulated Busquets. "He had another great game tonight and he leaves Barcelona as champions. Bossy will forever remain in our hearts. He has an important part in the history of this club."
Barcelona also dealt with the unusual incident at the end of the game, when Espanyol fans broke into the pitch and tried to attack the players. Television footage showed Barcelona players including Busquets, Jordi Alba and Ronald Araujo reacting angrily to Espanyol fans, even trying to get into a physical confrontation with some of them.
According to Mundo Deportivo, the Spanish league is considering punishing Espanyol severely following the unusual incident. In any case, the club will incur a hefty fine – probably a maximum fine of 90 euros – and the stadium will probably be closed for a while. According to the league's regulations, such an incident can result in the immediate closure of the stadium for a period of one week to a year. In Spain, it is estimated that Espanyol's stadium will be closed for at least a few weeks.
- sport
- World Football
- Spanish League
Tags
- Barcelona in football
- Lionel Messi