BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Lamine Yamal donned the No. 10 jersey once worn by Lionel Messi and took another step forward in his path to global stardom by helping to lead Barcelona to a second straight Spanish league title.
Hansi Flick's side clinched Barcelona's 29th domestic title with three games left after a 2-0 win over rival Real Madrid at Camp Nou on Sunday.
Yamal's Historic Season
The 18-year-old Yamal, who is missing the last games of the season with a muscle injury, is set to star for Spain at the upcoming World Cup and currently leads Barcelona in both goals and assists for the first time.
Yamal leads Barcelona in scoring — jointly with Ferran Torres on 16 goals — and a competition-leading 11 assists in La Liga, despite missing some games with injury. He also leads the league in dribbles with 133.
Beyond the numbers, his creativity with the ball and the fancy footwork, Yamal provided his contagious competitive attitude that never faded.
Midfield Dominance
Barcelona again had the top midfield and used it to crush the competition.
It was leading the 20-team division both in scoring and defense with 91 goals scored and 31 conceded.
Fermín López was targeted by Chelsea in last summer's transfer window, but the 22-year-old stayed put and emerged as a key player for Flick. Fermín scored 13 goals and made nine assists.
Group Effort in Attack
With Flick often using Lewandowski as a substitute, the attack became a more collective effort.
Striker Ferran Torres used his greater mobility to link up well with Yamal and company and has scored 16 league goals, three more than Lewandowski. Marcus Rashford has contributed with eight goals — including the one on Sunday — and several assists as he adapts well to Barcelona while on loan from Manchester United.
While lacking the overpowering attacking verve of the 2024-2025 title run, Barcelona had more than enough firepower to capitalize on the repeated slips by Madrid, which will finish a second straight season without a major title since the arrival of Kylian Mbappé.