Barcelona clinch first LaLiga since Lionel Messi's departure - ESPN

14.05.2023 - 21:27 espn.com

Barcelona have been crowned LaLiga champions for the first time since 2019 after winning 4-2 away at Espanyol in Sunday's Catalan derby.

Robert Lewandowski scored twice in the first half either side of Alex Balde's back-post strike to set Barca on their way. Jules Kounde added a fourth after the break as Barca cruised to a win that put them 14 points clear of second-placed Real Madrid to clinch the title with four games to spare. — Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) It is the 27th time the Blaugrana have won the Spanish top flight crown — only Madrid have won it more times (35) — and the first since Xavi Hernandez took charge at the end of 2021.

Barca won the league eight times between 2009 and 2019 as part of a golden era led by Lionel Messi but had failed to win it in the last three seasons.

Last year, the first without Messi following his move to Paris Saint-Germain, saw them end the campaign 13 points behind eventual winners Madrid.

Football Barcelona Lionel Messi Robert Lewandowski Franck Kessie Andreas Christensen Jules Kounde Spain Poland

Sergio Ramos will follow Lionel Messi out of Paris St Germain with the French champions confirming the veteran Spanish defender’s exit at the end of his contract.

Lionel Messi At PSG: Flashes Of Genius But Promise Unfulfilled

Lionel Messi arrived in France to a hero's welcome, seen as the man who would deliver the Champions League for Paris Saint-Germain. Two years on, the Argentinian is set to depart without having achieved that aim and having only produced his brilliant best in flashes. It is difficult to qualify Messi's time at PSG as a success, even if the move to the French capital helped set him up for the crowning glory of his career at last year's World Cup and did no harm to the Qatar-owned club as a sporting brand.

Sergio Ramos Joins Lionel Messi In Leaving Paris Saint-Germain

French champions Paris Saint-Germain announced on Friday that veteran former Spain defender Sergio Ramos will join Lionel Messi in leaving the club at the end of the season. Ramos, 37, arrived in French capital in 2021 after a trophy-laden spell with Real Madrid, lifting the Champions League on four time. "We would like to express our immense gratitude to Sergio Ramos for the two years he has spent with us," PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said in a statement.

Sergio Ramos will leave PSG at the end of the season, following Lionel Messi out of Parc des Princes after two years

Sergio Ramos has announced he is leaving Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season. Like Lionel Messi, Ramos will play his final match for the French champions in their final match of the campaign against Clermont Foot on Saturday. Ad Ramos’ departure had been rumoured for some time, with a new contract failing to be signed.

Lionel Messi Yet To Be Offered 'Return Opportunity' By Barcelona: Report

With Lionel Messi's time at Paris Saint-Germain drawing to a close, the Argentine forward will soon reveal his future -- but hopes of a romantic return to Barcelona are fading. Messi, who turns 36 in June, is Barcelona's all-time record goalscorer and biggest icon and was forced to wave a tearful goodbye in 2021 at the end of his contract, with the club unable to afford to keep him. Coach Xavi Hernandez has been pushing hard for the World Cup winner to come back, but Messi's camp has told Spanish media no offer from Barcelona has arrived yet.