Luis Enrique: "This is a huge achievement for everyone"

FC Barcelona's players jubilantly celebrated capturing their 23rd Liga BBVA title on the pitch of the Vicente Calderón after beating Atlético Madrid 1-0.

After the final whistle confirmed the capture of the first trophy of Luis Enrique Martínez’s era in charge of the Catalan club, the coach expressed his happiness in front of the media. "Right now I’m thinking of everyone who has helped us to win this title, and our fans", said the coach.

"There have been times when we’ve struggled, but the numbers are there for everyone to see, we’ve conceded just 19 goals and scored so many. This has been a remarkable season".

The coach also had words of praise for his players. "I am so pleased at how my players performed at one of the most difficult stadiums in the league", he added. "The team deserves this victory".

Club president Josep Maria Bartomeu also spoke to the media after witnessing the league triumph. "This has been a very hard-fought title win", he said. We have worked so hard and now we are very excited about the future. The team has spectacular ambition and everyone is united".

Midfielder Sergio Busquets was ecstatic after winning his fifth Liga BBVA title. "We’ve been the best team in the league by far and we deserve this prize", he said. "This is the most important trophy of them all because you fight for it every week, and it’s all about consistency. Now we have two more trophies to win, two more big games to play. I think this will be a historic season".

Javier Mascherano, one of Barcelona’s most important players throughout the season, spoke about the hardships his team had to overcome on their way to winning the title. "We had to go through difficult moments this season but we kept on believing, despite the fact Real Madrid had a four-point lead over us. If we hadn’t believed in ourselves, we wouldn’t have been able to turn it around". 

Gerard Piqué meanwhile praised his team-mates spirit throughout the season. "We’ve gone through good times and bad times but the team have always been at the top", said the defender. "We are very happy because we were able to lift ourselves up after losing last season. I’m very proud of this team"

And Ivan Rakitić was ecstatic after winning his first Liga BBVA title. "This is a wonderful and important moment and we have achieved this thanks to the hard work we have done all season. I’m truly happy. We are on the right path".