A 1-0 victory at Levante was enough for Ernesto Valverde's side to clinch the Spanish title on Saturday
It was inevitable. That Barcelona would win the title and that Lionel Messi would be the man to stamp and seal it.
Barcelona huffed and puffed but could not blow Levante’s house down until the Argentine wolf arrived from the bench to finally break the deadlock, netting the only goal in a 1-0 win on Saturday.
The delayed nature of the victory, which was a result everyone expected but nobody seemed capable of delivering until Messi came on, meant there were genuinely joyful celebrations, rather than it being a formality from kick-off.