First Liga for four players
FC Barcelona are celebrating once again. After the Clásico at the Spotify Camp Nou and the securing of a second consecutive Liga title, Hansi Flick’s side have shown that they remain the most consistent team in Spanish football. It is also the first Liga title for the club’s four new arrivals this season: Joan Garcia, Marcus Rashford, João Cancelo and Roony Bardghji.
New faces
Three of them arrived last summer, when Barça moved quickly to secure a goalkeeper for both the present and the future in Joan Garcia. The club also spotted the immense potential of winger Roony Bardghji, while the loan signing of the proven Marcus Rashford has added another dimension to the attack.
Then, in the winter transfer window, an old acquaintance returned in João Cancelo. The Portuguese full-back has shone in the closing stretch of the season, cemented his place in the starting XI and won over the fans all over again. For all four players, this Liga triumph is their first in Spanish football.
Cancelo already had an impressive collection of league titles to his name: the Portuguese league with Benfica, Serie A with Juventus, three Premier League titles with Manchester City and a Bundesliga crown with Bayern Munich. Roony, meanwhile, had already won three Danish league titles with Copenhagen. For Joan Garcia and Rashford, however, this is the first league title of their careers.
Out of La Masia
Beyond the first-team squad, several academy players have also picked up their first Liga title with the senior side. La Masia remains the cornerstone of a Barça team that continues to place its faith firmly in home-grown talent.
This season, four youth players made their first-team debuts: Jofre Torrens, Toni Fernández, Xavi Espart and Tommy Marqués, all of whom also thus played their part in the title success. Two other academy players, defender Álvaro Cortés and goalkeeper Eder Aller, spent much of the season training with the first team and, despite not making their debuts, are also part of this achievement.