The celebrations continued deep into the early hours of Monday morning after Barcelona secured the La Liga title with a 2-0 victory over arch-rivals Real Madrid. The Culés then lined the streets of Catalonia’s capital for an open-top bus parade on Tuesday, hailing their heroes. For the second consecutive year under Hansi Flick, Barcelona have been the dominant force in Spanish football, currently holding a 14-point lead over Madrid, who have been embroiled in controversy and internal strife.
The major disappointment for Barcelona was their Champions League exit at the hands of Atlético Madrid, who sit 28 points behind them in La Liga. Ill-discipline was central to their European elimination, and Flick’s priority next season will be to deliver success in the most prestigious club competition. For now, Barcelona will continue to celebrate their 29th La Liga title. Alongside our Spanish colleagues, we have selected their five most important players behind this success and analyzed them.
**Lamine Yamal** – The poster boy of Barcelona and Spanish football, it is often hard to believe he is just 18 years old given what he has already achieved. Arguably already the best player in the world, Yamal was instrumental to Barcelona’s title success. With Raphinha sidelined for a significant part of the season, Yamal carried the creative burden, and his numbers are supremely impressive. The winger scored 16 goals and provided 12 assists in 28 league games, putting him level with Kylian Mbappé at the top spot for goal contributions in La Liga. Yamal has firmly cemented his billing as the best La Masia academy graduate since Lionel Messi and remains the most valuable player in the world on Transfermarkt.
**Pedri** – An absolute joy to watch, Pedri deserves to be in the conversation of the best midfielders in the world. This has been the best season of the magician’s career, with 27 appearances in La Liga. Vitinha is arguably the only player who can rival Pedri’s capacity to dictate games from a deep-lying midfield role, and his ability to retain possession under pressure is unrivalled. The 23-year-old has overcome injury problems that stunted his development when he first broke through at Barcelona, and he is deservedly the most valuable midfielder on the planet at €150 million. To many, Pedri is the heir to Xavi’s throne.
**Joan García** – An absolute revelation at Barcelona and the best signing of the season in Spain. The 25-year-old was already one of the best goalkeepers in La Liga, and it was an absolute steal to secure his signature for just €25 million from Espanyol. Garcia leads the way for clean sheets in the league with 15 in 29 appearances. That statistic is even more impressive considering Flick’s extremely bold high line that he implements in defense, and Garcia is the perfect sweeper keeper.
**Eric García** – It was a real toss-up between Eric García and Pau Cubarsí for which center-back to select, but the former got the nod. While Cubarsí has a reputation as one of the best young center-backs in the world, García’s excellence this season would have surprised many. After rejoining Barcelona from Manchester City in 2021 on a free transfer, García spent time on loan at Girona, and it was viewed as doubtful that he would ever become a regular at Barcelona, being firmly considered a squad player. But he has been outstanding this season, starting 30 games in La Liga—substantially more than the previous campaign (14). Cubarsí is the only outfield player to register more minutes for Barcelona this season, which further highlights García’s importance.
**Fermín López** – Yet another Barcelona star to enjoy the best season of his career. The 23-year-old is not a guaranteed starter under Flick given the quality of alternatives in the attacking midfield role, but he has delivered 15 goal contributions in 30 league games—only 18 of which were starts. Lopez also shone in the Champions League with six goals and four assists in 10 appearances. Fermín has yet to sparkle for Spain but should be heavily involved at the World Cup, which should expose more eyes to his undeniable quality.
