JOAO CANCELO BECOMES FIRST FOOTBALLER EVER TO ACHIEVE INCREDIBLE FEAT AFTER BARCELONA'S LA LIGA TITLE SUCCESS

Joao Cancelo has written his name into the history books following Barcelona’s clinical 2-0 victory over Real Madrid to secure the La Liga title. While the Blaugrana celebrated domestic dominance at the Camp Nou, the Portuguese defender reached a milestone that has eluded the greatest icons of the game.

A historic Clasico triumph

The Blaugrana secured the Spanish top-flight crown after a win against their bitter rivals in Sunday night's El Clasico at the Camp Nou. In doing so, they have achieved a historic first by winning La Liga as a result of a direct match against Los Blancos. Barcelona only needed to avoid defeat against Alvaro Arbeloa's side, as they led Real by 11 points going into the 35th game of the campaign.

Hansi Flick’s men delivered the goods in style, recording their 11th successive league victory on a night of double celebration. A stunning free-kick from Marcus Rashford - the first such goal in a Clasico since Lionel Messi in 2012 - was followed by a Ferran Torres strike to confirm Barca's 29th league crown and leave their rivals in turmoil.

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Cancelo stands alone in the history books

For ex-Manchester City defender Cancelo, who won six major honours under Pep Guardiola, he has now finally won the league title that evaded him during his previous loan spell at Barca in the 2023-24 season. Brought back on loan from Saudi side Al Hilal in January, Cancelo, who appeared as a starter in last night's match, has been key in the club's stunning form in 2026, chipping in with one goal and three assists from 13 La Liga matches.

Deployed on both sides of defence, the 31-year-old has now become the first footballer to win league titles in four of Europe's 'Top Five' divisions. Having won the Primeira Liga with Benfica in 2014, the Serie A title with Juventus was the Portugal international's first 'Top Five' league championship. He then scooped three Premier League crowns while at the Etihad Stadium, before lifting the Bundesliga title while on loan at Bayern Munich. Now, with a La Liga medal secured, only France's Ligue 1 remains for him to complete the set.

Outperforming the legends

A host of legendary players have won league championships in three of the 'Top Five' leagues, but none could reach the fourth. David Beckham had the opportunity to become the first person to achieve the incredible feat; he was successful in England, Spain and France, but failed to win the Serie A title across two loan spells at AC Milan. Similarly, Cristiano Ronaldo triumphed in England, Spain and Italy, but never added a fourth major league to his haul.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic also came up trumps in Spain, Italy and France, and had the chance to create history when he joined Manchester United in 2016. However, he finished sixth in his only full season in the Premier League, though he did win the Europa League, League Cup and Community Shield. Other notable players to win titles in three major countries include Thierry Henry, Kingsley Coman, Dani Alves, Arturo Vidal, Maxwell, Sami Khedira and Claude Makelele.

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What lies ahead for the history-maker?

Despite his loan deal from Al Hilal proving incredibly successful, questions remain regarding Cancelo's long-term future. It remains to be seen what the future holds for Cancelo come the summer, and whether Barcelona press ahead with another loan deal, look to turn his temporary stay into a permanent switch or if he returns to the Middle East.

There is, of course, the tantalising prospect of completing the "Top Five" set. With titles in England, Spain, Italy, and Germany secured, only France's Ligue 1 remains. Should Cancelo decide to leave the Camp Nou this summer, a move to a French powerhouse could provide the platform for the ultimate clean sweep of Europe's major championships.

- Donny Afroni

FLICK TALKS RAPHINHA, OLOMO, KOVAC, ROTATIONS AHEAD OF BARCELONA VS DORTMUND

Barcelona are all set to host Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie.

The Blaugrana have already played the Bundesliga giants once this season, in the league phase, where they secured a 3-2 win.

Things are different now, though, with Dortmund having a new manager in Niko Kovac, a former mentor of Barça head coach Hansi Flick.

Ahead of tomorrow’s contest in Montjuic, the Barcelona gaffer discussed his imminent reunion with Kovac as well as the team’s journey up until this point and the confidence that they are carrying into the game.

On Dortmund and Kovac

“Everyone would like to be in this situation, we look forward and want to continue. We are confident,” said Flick, kicking things off.

Further talking about the match and playing the first leg at home, he noted: “In the Champions League, playing at home is better because we perform better. We’d like to be able to finish it off now.

"Against Atletico, we saw that. It’s a good moment for us. We have improved a lot in many situations and found the right answers. We are very prepared for tomorrow’s game.”

Regarding his reunion with Kovac, Flick remarked: “It’s something I’ve thought about a lot. It’s good that I know Niko and he can help us. Our job is to prepare ourselves.

“Niko is a fantastic coach, a wonderful person and I’m looking forward to meeting him again.”

Borussia Dortmund go into the game with several notable absences, including Marcel Sabitzer and Nico Schlotterbeck. However, Flick insisted that he expects Kovac to put out a strong team, saying:

"They are a very good team. Niko will be able to put out a good line-up. They are strong defensively and I wish the injured players all the best. They have some very good players and it’s a pity, but they have enough players to make up for their losses.”

On what has changed for Dortmund between their last meeting and tomorrow’s match, the Barça boss remarked:

“The confidence has changed a bit. The results they’ve had in the Champions League and Bundesliga have given them confidence. They have more concrete goals.

“They are a team with great pace, they think in an attacking way and we’ll have to be up to the task.”

On what he makes of Barcelona’s billing as the favourites for the competition, the German manager remarked:

“I’ve already said it several times. We have to give everything in the match. We have worked hard in preparation and we don’t want it to be the end. We have to play well tomorrow.

“We haven’t lost games and that’s important, but we have to perform as well as we can.”

The Barça head coach was then asked for an update on the situation of Raphinha, who has not played much after the international break.

“After the break, we have given him a little time to recover, but in training he is fantastic. He is very dynamic and ready for tomorrow’s game,” Flick revealed.

On being asked about the controversy surrounding Dani Olmo’s registration and La Liga’s latest appeal, the manager refused to comment, saying:

“We have a very important Champions League game against Dortmund. These issues are managed by the club and I don’t focus on them.”

Talking about managing the players’ workload for the remainder of the season, the Barcelona head coach explained:

“It’s important to focus on the current things and we have to think about every game. We have to see how tired the players are, that’s important, or if we have to change positions.

“I am happy because right now we have a lot of players who can cover several positions. We have this schedule, but it won’t make us suffer. Our goal is to win every single match. We can deal with it. We are very proud.”

The Barcelona players started training an hour later than scheduled as Flick had a video session with them followed by a lengthy talk. On being asked what was discussed, he said:

“We are clear about how we want to play and we have made some promises. We want to stay in the Champions League, we have to focus on the things that matter.”

About statistics and numbers being in favour of Barcelona heading into tomorrow’s encounter, Flick remarked that it does not matter to him.

"Statistics don’t interest me, nor does the past. What matters is tomorrow. We are all delighted to be playing in the Champions League. It’s a challenge for us to play in Europe and we want to be there,” he noted.

- Michel Durant 

BARCELONA'S RAPHINHA SAYS BAYERN ROUT 'REVENGE' FOR FANS

Barcelona forward Raphinha said Wednesday's thumping 4-1 Champions League win over Bayern Munich served as "revenge" for the club's supporters for past results against the German giants.

Raphinha starred with a hat trick on his 100th appearance for Barça as the Catalan club ended a run of six successive defeats against Bayern in the competition.

The Brazilian was only there for two of those games -- and he had not signed for Barça when they lost 8-2 to Bayern in 2020 -- but he said he experienced them all as a supporter.

"It was revenge for the fans I think," Raphinha said after the game. "For us on the inside, the players, we don't look at the past. We focus on the next game. But I suffered those games as a fan, too.

"It's been an amazing, special night, scoring [a hat trick] on my 100th game for the club. I am very happy with the performance and how we played.

"As a team, we played really well and that's the most important thing for me. Getting that second win in the Champions League was important."

Barça and Bayern both came into the fixture at the Olympic Stadium with one win and one loss from their opening games in this season's Champions League, making it imperative not to drop more points given the uncertainty over how many will be needed to progress in the new format.

Raphinha opened the scoring inside the opening minute, but Harry Kane drew Bayern level with his 14th goal of the season in all competitions.

Robert Lewandowski restored Barça's lead before half-time and two more goals from Raphinha either side of the break earned Barça the points in a game the former Leeds United attacker feels could have been the final.

"I said before the game this could be a Champions League final," he added. "Maybe not everyone agrees with me, but in my opinion it could be.

"So to be able to win in this manner, in front of our fans, is quite special and I am really happy."

Raphinha celebrates with his Barcelona teammates after beating Bayern Munich in the Champions League. Getty Images

Raphinha, who captained Barça on the night, now has nine goals and six assists in all competitions in what is his third season with the Blaugrana. He was named MVP by UEFA for his performance.

"I will give [the MVP] award to my son, it will be another trophy for him, although he prefers the match balls," he joked. "But it's a trophy that shows what I can do in the Champions League. Since I signed I have dreamed of these nights: scoring goals, playing these games and making a difference."

The victory sets Barça up perfectly for Saturday's trip to Real Madrid for the first Clásico of the season. If they win at the Santiago Bernabéu, they could open up a six point lead at the top of the table.

Coach Hansi Flick -- who was in charge of Bayern for that 8-2 four years ago -- lauded an "incredible" win against his former side, but tempered expectations about winning the Champions League as he looked ahead to taking on Madrid.

"No, it's too soon, we just started the season," he said in a news conference when asked if the result makes Barça a genuine contender to win the trophy. "We're on a long road in LaLiga and in the Champions League. We are taking things game by game. We're obviously very proud of the result tonight, but on Saturday it continues with another hard game.

"We want to deliver another top performance. It's an incredible result against a fantastic team and gives us confidence for Saturday. I am very proud of the team. We saw the joy of the team and how they celebrated."

It was a different story for Bayern, who tasted defeat for the second game running in the Champions League after losing at Aston Villa last time out.

Coach Vincent Kompany had few complaints with the result, but said there were moments around Kane's equaliser when he thought his side could get points from the game.

"What I can share at the moment is how we felt the game went at the start or in the first half versus what we thought we could achieve in this game," Kompany said in a news conference. "I think all of us, and you guys would have felt it too, felt like we could edge this game, that it could turn for us.

"But in key moments we got outdone and for that reason the result is fairly heavy. We have to learn from this game so the next opportunities we have we are stronger again."

- Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens