Barcelona are La Liga champions. Lamine Yamal, Hansi Flick and La Masia got them there

AlavésAthletic ClubAtlético MadridBarcelonaCelta de VigoElcheEspanyolGetafeGironaLevanteMallorcaOsasunaRayo VallecanoReal BetisReal MadridReal OviedoReal SociedadSevillaValenciaVillarrealPodcastsCopa del ReyBarca's league title is their third in the past four seasons Design by Kelsea Petersen. Photos: Getty Images Share articleBarcelona are celebrating winning La Liga for the second season in a row, after victory over Real Madrid confirmed their successful title defence. Hansi Flick’s side defeated their Clasico rivals 2-0 at the Camp Nou on Sunday, further stretching their lead at the top of the table to 14 points with just three games to play, making it impossible to catch them. In Flick’s debut campaign last term, Barca won the domestic treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana titles. They also won La Liga in 2022-23, making this three league titles in four seasons. Here, The Athletic’s Barcelona correspondents Pol Ballus and Laia Cervello Herrero tell the story of their latest success. After replacing Xavi in May 2024, Flick showed his ability to put out fires from the very start. He arrived with a solid and clear working structure that helped navigate a noisy and challenging environment. The players bought into it and have followed him since. His exciting tactical approach and deft touch in managing the dressing room have been key to this team’s success, while nurturing its young stars. Flick is a manager who rarely makes headlines. But, at important moments, he has sent out messages that have resonated with the squad. “Egos kill success,” the 61-year-old German said in a press conference after the 1-1 draw at Rayo Vallecano on August 31, just before the first international break of the season. It came at a time of tension. Barca had been lucky to beat Levante in their previous game, and there was a sense of second season syndrome setting in. His skilled public communication, and a few well-timed words of encouragement behind the scenes, played a big part in turning things around. Following a 5-2 home win against Sevilla on March 15, Gavi described Flick as being “like a father”. It is a sentiment shared by many in the squad. That sense of calm has also helped them keep a balanced perspective on the team’s style of play. Flick’s commitment to Barca’s high-risk mix of aggressive pressing and front-foot defending has led to some tough moments. Sevilla beat Barca 4-1 in October, immediately after a home defeat by last season’s Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain. Flick knows how to ignore the noise, but he also knows how to listen. After Barca lost 4-0 at Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on February 12, players shared concerns. They felt there should be a touch more pragmatism in key matches, or when fitness issues left them short. Flick’s style is attractive to watch because it is highly attacking and leads to plenty of chances, but it is only effective if the whole team performs their defensive duties flawlessly. Since that Copa game at the Metropolitano, and the league defeat at Girona that immediately followed, there have been signs Flick took his players’ views on board. Barca have won all 11 La Liga games since that 2-1 loss at Girona in February, a result that left them two points behind Real Madrid. The turbulent situation at the Bernabeu is in stark contrast to the settled progress Flick’s side have made, perhaps the biggest factor behind his side’s recent domestic success. Fans may have hoped for more. The Champions League was the title everyone at Barca wanted this term — a competition they have not won since 2015. Last season’s elimination by eventual runners-up Inter in the semi-finals left a sense that more could have been achieved with greater maturity. This term, red cards in both legs against Atleti were decisive. As for Flick, he is widely expected to sign a renewal, with his contract due to expire in June 2027. Barca have full confidence in him. After what we’ve seen these past two seasons, why wouldn’t they? More than ever, this is Yamal’s Barcelona. The attacking trio of Yamal, Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski were all key last season as Flick’s Barca took Europe by storm. This term, however, Yamal has been the only one to sustain or improve his output. Raphinha has been hampered by injuries, suffering three hamstring tears that limited him to just 21 league appearances. He has gone from scoring 34 goals last season to 19 across all competitions. Lewandowski has even found himself benched, which might be seen as normal given the veteran Poland striker turns 38 in August. He has scored 13 times in La Liga, down from 27 goals last season. His replacement Ferran Torres has experienced an inconsistent season too, leaving Flick with a problem at No 9 — yet Barca are comfortably the team with the most goals scored in La Liga (89). Yamal is the reason why. The 18-year-old prodigy has enjoyed the best season of his career so far with 27 goal involvements (16 goals, 11 assists) in 28 La Liga appearances, rising to 24 goals and 17 assists in all competitions. Yamal’s season is even more striking because he has produced those numbers in a season full of struggles. He had to navigate the first big injury of his career this year, with a recurring groin problem known as pubalgia that led to a clash between Barca and the Spanish FA over how his recovery was being managed. Last month, he sustained a hamstring injury which ruled him out for the remainder of the season, although Barca expect him to be back for the World Cup. Yamal has also learnt a lesson when it comes to how he conducts himself off the pitch. In the build-up to the first Clasico of the season against Real Madrid in October, he joked about Madrid historically receiving help from referees — and it backfired. Barca lost 2-1, with Yamal putting in a disappointing performance, and Madrid players including Spain team-mate Dani Carvajal pulled him up on his comments. “It is normal Madrid players were fired up by this and he will probably learn with this,” a source close to Yamal told The Athletic after that match. The teenager has changed his approach since then, largely keeping a lower profile on social media. There’s nothing unusual or concerning about that — the normal thing is for a youngster like him to learn lessons. The extraordinary thing is there seems to be no ceiling to his talent. Two years ago, Barca needed a revival. Flick has played a huge role in that — and so has the club’s youth academy. By the end of the 2023-24 campaign, Yamal’s generational talent was plain to see. Fermin Lopez and Pau Cubarsi had already shown what they can do. Since then, each has grown to take on further importance, while others have emerged at a time when Barca’s stretched finances have severely restricted their options in the transfer market. This season, especially since the Christmas break, Marc Bernal has stepped up — which he might have done last term were it not for the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury the 18-year-old midfielder suffered in August 2024. He, Yamal and Cubarsi (19) played in the same teams (made up of players born in 2007) coming through at La Masia. They are now established, elite players. Xavi Espart, the 18-year-old right-back, is another from that year group who might well get his chance. Seeing these youngsters come through gives great confidence to other hopefuls and to fans who have always attributed great importance to seeing academy products do well. The league match at Levante in November 2012 that featured 11 La Masia graduates on the pitch is still celebrated today. There were seven such starters in the 3-0 home win against Real Mallorca on February 7: Alejandro Balde, Cubarsi and Eric Garcia in defence; Marc Casado, Dani Olmo (who was at the club early in his youth career but moved to Dinamo Zagreb at 16 then re-signed from RB Leipzig in 2024) and Fermin Lopez in midfield; and Yamal in attack. Two more came off the bench — Bernal and Tommy Marques, 19. Flick has spoken of fielding an entire starting XI of academy graduates before the end of this season. Eight have been given senior debuts since he took over. The average age of their starting line-up this season is the youngest in La Liga. At times, La Masia’s importance has been overlooked at the club. That is certainly no longer the case. When Barca really needed it, the academy was there. In the middle of last summer’s transfer window, The Athletic had a conversation with a senior executive source at Barcelona about the club’s goalkeeper situation. The person was asked whether it was a risk to sign Joan Garcia from Espanyol if captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen stayed as well as Wojciech Szczesny, and how that could impact the dressing room chemistry. “A risk would be not to sign Joan Garcia,” the source replied. “If we stay with Ter Stegen and his back injury and Szczesny as the only first-team option in goal, that would be a problem. Signing Joan certainly is not one.” Sporting director Deco identified the goalkeeper position as a weak point in the squad last season. He was determined to address the problem in the summer and it has paid off handsomely. Garcia was the only significant deal done by the Catalans and the 24-year-old has been the goalkeeper of the season in La Liga. Despite their extremely high defensive line, Barca are the team with the fewest goals conceded in the Spanish top flight (31 after 35 games). JOAN GARCIA. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/NIJ2lLi5jO — LALIGA (@LaLiga) February 16, 2026 Garcia is on track to win the Zamora Trophy, the award given to the keeper with the best goals against-to-games ratio in La Liga. If Flick’s men have put up the best defence in the league at the end of a season which began with leader Inigo Martinez leaving without a replacement, and in which full-backs Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde have both seen their levels drop, it is because of Garcia. Credit needs to be given to other defenders who stepped up, including Eric Garcia and Gerard Martin. But Joan Garcia has been one of the best pieces of Barcelona business in years and seems set to be the keeper who defines a generation for the club. Despite this success, there is a big summer ahead for Barcelona. Flick has said his biggest dream is to bring the Champions League trophy back to the Catalan club, but they will need improvements if they are to do that. Injuries arguably played a bigger role than the red cards in their quarter-final elimination by Atletico, the same opponents who knocked them out of the Copa del Rey semi-finals. Barca lost key players such as Raphinha and Frenkie de Jong in a crucial period, leaving Flick with limited options and some out-of-form players in their place. In October, The Athletic reported in depth about the squad’s frustration with their physical preparation, which caused even Flick to complain about numerous injury setbacks suffered by his players. An improved structure in that department could be one of the first things to address during the summer. Barca will also keep an eye on Yamal at the World Cup. The club and the Spanish FA need to ensure he is not overused or rushed back into action from his hamstring injury. The example of Pedri, who played both the European Championship and the Tokyo Summer Olympics with Spain in 2021, is at the front of Barca fans’ minds. Then there are key decisions to make about signings — the priority is a new striker and a centre-back. Atletico’s Julian Alvarez and Inter defender Alessandro Bastoni are the preferred names, but it is unclear whether Barca’s finances and struggles with La Liga’s salary limit will allow them to sign both. Some players’ futures will need addressing. Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford has shown some bright signs, but The Athletic reported last month that Barca’s interest in keeping him after his loan spell ends this summer has cooled. The England international has scored 14 goals and provided 11 assists in all competitions this term — including a wonderful free-kick in El Clasico as Barca wrapped up the title against their biggest rivals. Departures to raise funds and free up salary space are expected, but Deco will try and take this project to another level over the next few months. For Barca fans, it is an exciting prospect. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms