There was no way Granada was going to play spoiler against Barcelona, which needed a road victory or a Real draw or loss at Deportivo La Coruna in order to clinch. Luis Suarez made sure of it. The Uruguayan bagged a hat trick to secure Barcelona's 24th La Liga championship in a 3-0 victory, making Real's 2-0 win at Depor (andCristiano Ronaldo's brace) moot.
Suarez also clinched the Pichichi Trophy as La Liga's top scorer, finishing with 40 league goals to outdistance Ronaldo's 35. Any early Ballon d'Or talk must begin with Suarez, who has been Barcelona's rock and has scored an incredible 59 goals in all competitions this season.
His second goal of the day, coming shorty after Ronaldo scored his second, was a thing of beauty and made possible by a spectacular pullback by Dani Alves.
Two months ago, Barcelona looked destined to achieve a historic treble with the first-ever Champions League title repeat. But late-season fatigue brought on unexpected and untimely struggles. And then nemesis Atletico Madrid sent Barca crashing out of the Champions League in the quarterfinals.
Disappointment may still be lingering among Barcelona supporters. Manager Luis Enrique, in his postgame press conference, only saw the positives.
"There were many weeks in first place, many weeks playing good football," Enrique said. "[In winning La Liga] you are rewarded for consistency, you take into account of the entire season. This team knows how to overcome difficult moments.
"We are very happy for all the Barcelona fans. We suffered through a lot of difficult moments. And we have a chance to win another title [in the Copa del Rey final]."
Enrique reminded everyone just how dominant Barcelona has been domestically. Barca has now won six of the last eight La Liga titles.
"Which tells you the club has a winning dynamic," Enrique said. "You have to value that."
"You have to celebrate these moments," he added.
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