Hail Barcelona!

Barcelona set the season alight with a spectacular brand of high-pressure, attack-minded football and, while Real Madrid8217;s late charge ...

Barcelona set the season alight with a spectacular brand of high-pressure, attack-minded football and, while Real Madrid8217;s late charge injected extra emotion into the title race, the Catalans were worthy champions.

Barcelona won their first league title in six years on Saturday after a second-half header from leading striker Samuel Eto8217;o earned them a 1-1 draw against relegation-threatened Levante.

With second-placed Real Madrid earlier held to a 2-2 draw in an action-packed match against Sevilla, Barcelona now have an unassailable six-point lead at the top of the table.

Even if the Catalans lose their remaining two matches they cannot be caught by their arch-rivals because of their better head-to-head record in meetings between the two sides this season

Looking back into this season, Real abandoned spectacle for a more pragmatic results-based approach, especially after the mid-season arrival of new coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo, but Barca kept faith with their traditional ball-playing style to the delight of die-hard fans and footballing connoisseurs alike. What makes Barca8217;s success more impressive, however, is the fact that the club has triumphed with a squad that was stretched to the limit by a dispiriting succession of injuries.

Spain defender Gabri, versatile Brazil defender Edmilson, midfielder Thiago Motta and Swedish striker Henrik Larsson were all laid low with serious knee injuries in the first part of the season and new recruit Maxi Lopez was sidelined with a broken foot last month.

Last season Real Madrid imploded when their squad was put under similar pressure but Barca avoided the same fate thanks to the coaching skill of the unflappable Frank Rijkaard, the quality of the players coming through the youth ranks and the self-belief of the more senior members of the team. While Real based their team around big-name players who have already won almost everything in the game, Barca forged theirs from a group of trophy-hungry youngsters striving for success.

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No one embodied that desire better than Samuel Eto8217;O, the leading striker in Spain and the man Real Madrid President Florentino Perez discarded at the start of the season because he said there was no space for the 24-year-old amongst his hand-picked collection of Galacticos.

The Cameroon striker8217;s fierce ambition, abrasive character and single-minded determination have played a critical role in Barcelona8217;s success and his 24 goals have fired the Catalans to their first title in six years. Last season when Barca recovered from a poor start to finish runners-up to Valencia they were largely a one-man show, based around the brilliant Ronaldinho, but this term they proved they are a true all-round team.

The Catalans made an explosive start to the season, with goals from Eto8217;O, Larsson and Ludovic Giuly firing them to a 10-match unbeaten run. They overtook defending champions Valencia in the standings at the start of October and have not been overtaken since. Of their potential challengers, Valencia could not adjust to the post-Rafael Benitez era, Deportivo Coruna paid the price for a repeated failure to strengthen a weary-looking squad and Real Madrid had a strife-ridden start following the resignation of Jose Antonio Camacho after just three games.

Barca had their own mid-season wobble in the New Year. They slumped to a 3-0 defeat at Villarreal, a team expertly marshalled by former player Juan Roman Riquelme. The Catalans then slipped to their only home defeat of the season at the hands of Atletico Madrid in February and went down 4-2 to Real at the Bernabeu in early April.

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But even when they were under pressure from Real they refused to change their style and always appeared to be confident they would win through.

After a quiet mid-season spell Ronaldinho burst into life again as the race reached its climax, Eto8217;O made a lightning recovery from a knee injury. After six seasons in the wilderness, Barcelona have finally tasted success again. With a young dynamic squad still hungry for more their fans will be hoping they do not have to wait too long to savour their next triumph. Reuters

8226; 8220;We have all enjoyed this and have worked very hard for it. We are ambitious and we have to continue to be so. I am delighted. Now I have won the thing I wanted most I can now fight to be the top goalscorer in the league too.8221;
Samuel Eto8217;o

8226; 8220;It is a title we deserve because we gave everything. Winning is the best thing in life and I am very pleased to have done it and it was important for me to win a title in my first year at Barcelona.
Deco

8226; 8220;I feel immensely happy. I am happy for the players and everyone that has supported throughout the season in such a great way When everyone is united, Barca is very strong and when Barca is very strong it is very difficult to beat us8221;
Frank Rijkaard

8226; 8220;We suffered early on, but the draw was good and with Samuel8217;s goal we calmed down. We knew the Madrid score and went into the game a lot calmer. The team has been extraordinary this season with a high level of play.8221;
Xavi Hernaacute;ndez