Barca seal LaLiga crown as Flick's high-wire act leaves Real in ruins

BARCELONA, May 10 : Barcelona's second straight LaLiga title was not so much a procession as a high-wire act with the volume turned up, Hansi Flick's side blending attacking swagger, teenage sparkle and defensive jeopardy in a campaign that captivated fans.

Sunday's Clasico win over Real Madrid, which left Barca out of reach with three matches to play, was the flourish on a season built on momentum, nerve and a commitment to attack even when common sense might have suggested tapping the brakes.

For Real, it was a more familiar rummage through the debris.

Another season slipped away from the Madrid side without a major title, extending their drought to two campaigns since the arrival of Kylian Mbappe and leaving them with awkward questions about where the next great era is supposed to come from.

Flick's second year in charge at Barca was hardly a serene cruise down the Ramblas. The German had to keep his side motoring despite long injury absences for several key players, including Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Frenkie de Jong and captain Raphinha in different parts of the season.

He also had to navigate the sharp decline in output from Robert Lewandowski. The 37-year-old Poland striker, who scored 42 goals in 52 matches last season, has managed 18 in 43 this term, no longer quite the penalty-box thunderbolt he once was.

Yet Barcelona rarely lost control of their title destiny. Flick did not often have his best lineup available, but he found answers in the squad, with Ferran Torres contributing 16 goals and Yamal, still only 18, producing 16 goals and 11 assists.

Yamal's season was all the more impressive given he struggled early on with a lingering groin problem, but the teenager grew into Barca's standout performer and repeatedly