Barça says goodbye to the Olympic Stadium with a celebration that will last months

BarcelonaBarcelona is a party if you're a Barça fan, although Villarreal took all three points to La Plana and celebrated their Champions League appearances in the process. Catalonia is thrilled with a team that doesn't want to lose even its ribs on days when you have a hangover. But it's impossible to compete equally when you're already champions and when the week has been long, with a demanding derby and an anthological parade. After bringing half the city out onto the streets, Barça celebrated the league title with another party at the Olímpic Lluís Companys stadium. This began after a loss to Villarreal in a match in which the only one who ended up with a sour face was Lewandowski, who already knows he won't be the league's top scorer this year. You can't have everything in life. This is only the first defeat in La Liga this year, 2025. A success without flaws, in which no one can doubt the play of an exciting team.

Despite losing, Barça was able to bid farewell to the Olímpic in the best possible way, with Ter Stegen lifting the League Cup, presented by the president of the Federation, Rafael Louzán. It was a farewell to the stadium that made millions dream in the summer of 1992 and has become the birthplace of a new generation of Barça heroes who have excited their fans like no one has seen in a long time. If all goes well, next season Barça will return to Les Corts, the place where the heart of Barça has been beating for decades, to begin a new season. The first under Flick's leadership will close with a bang, after winning the League, the Cup, and the Spanish Super Cup. It seems easy when written, but it isn't. It wasn't easy to have all three trophies on the pitch on the same day the women's team had already celebrated with their trophies. The players circled the cups while Lamine danced with the mascot Cat and urban rhythms played. "The connection between players and fans is magnificent. And the way we play helps to connect even more. I'm very happy," said Flick.

The fans have been moved by this team. And that's why they accompanied their players to the last home game. Both those who have demonstrated unwavering loyalty by renewing their Montjuïc season tickets and those who might only attend a Barça game once. Both the youngsters who can't afford a ticket and climb up the mountain to welcome the team before descending to bars in Poble Sec or Sants, and those who watch from a VIP box. Flick has managed to unite Barça fans, a fan base prone to internal debate, around a wonderful team that reinforces the narrative of Laporta, the president with the most keen eye for football in the club's history. Laporta, like Flick and Lamine, is a great mood-setter.

And the Barcelona player's mood is very high right now. So much so that it will be hard to go on vacation, aware that it will take months to see a team so hungry that Flick surprised everyone by fielding a team that was so small in number of starts. No rotations. The German coach wanted to win the game because he's probably one of those who go to bed angry after losing a card game. Barça walked down the corridor of honor made by the visitors with Ter Stegen returning to the goal. But the German goalkeeper would concede a goal from Ayoze just four minutes into the game. If their legs were heavy and they had a hangover, only the players can say so, and they reacted quickly, led by a mesmerizing Lamine. The defenders know that, coming out from the right, he'll move towards the center to shoot with his left foot. They know it, they're watching him, and they can't stop him. His equalizer was beautiful, and his signature also appeared in the 2-1, scored by one of the players who have celebrated the most this La Liga, Fermín. The Andalusian's goal allowed them to go into the break ahead on the scoreboard.

But a play in which the offside call wasn't properly called allowed Santi Comesaña to equalize with a delightful flick on the ball. Barça, who made a ton of substitutions to give Héctor Fort and Pau Víctor minutes, looked to connect with a very lost and unlucky Lewandowski. In fact, news of Mbappé's goal, which sealed the race for the Pichichi award, came from Seville. Barça left Madrid with only the crumbs. They can't celebrate anything else at the Santiago Bernabéu. The championship celebrations were on Montjuïc, although Villarreal made it 2-3 thanks to the Canadian Buchanan when some players were already struggling to maintain a high pace. The defeat, in theory, shouldn't have hurt, but Flick's face said otherwise. And so did the fight from Lamine and Fermín. This team never wants to lose, not even in a game like this. A good sign. It's impossible not to be optimistic and think that this team won't get enough of winning, seeing how they compete, with Lamine desperately trying to equalize until the last second. Barcelona is a happy city if you're a Barça fan. A party that never seems to end, as if it were an invitation to toast and dance like Lamine and Marc Casadó did all over the stadium, waving flags, with the same laughter as young people at summer dances. They have become the present of a Barça with a great future.