Barça could be proclaimed champions away to Atletico Madrid for the second time in their history

1958/59 league winning side celebrating the trophy at the  Camp Nou / PHOTO: ARXIU FCB
Helenio Herrera’s side were crowned champions of the 1958/59 league after a 1-1 draw at Atletico’s then home ground, the Estadio Metropolitano de Madrid.

The game was the penultimate fixture pf the campaign and a Segarra equaliser was enough to dash any hopes second place Real Madrid had of taking the trophy.

Even if Real Madrid beat Espanyol on Saturday night, Barça could still claim the league title this weekend by winning at the Vicente Calderon. It wouldn’t be the first time the Club have won the league after a game away to Atletico Madrid. Helenio Herrera’s 1958/59 side took the title with a 1-1 draw at the Estadio Metropolitano de Madrid –Atletico’s home until 1966 – for the Club’s seventh league trophy.

Gol de Segarra

Fifty -four years ago  FC Barcelona went into the penultimate league game needing just a single point to mathematically take the title. Real Madrid were in second place, two points behind and needed two Barça defeats in the final two games to nick the top spot, but a 66th minute Joan Segarra strike gave Barça a draw and a point against Atletico de Madrid which meant they were crowned champions after the game.

Neto got an equaliser for the hosts, but it wasn’t enough  – especially since Real Madrid themselves lost 4-1 in Bilbao on the same weekend to leave Barça three points ahead with one game remaining and with two points for a win, Barça were champions!

A week later, the Camp Nou had the privilege of celebrating the title with Suárez, Ramallets, Kubala, Czibor and the rest of the squad as the team signed off the season with a 7-1 thrashing of Oviedo.

La Liga will have to wait

PHOTO: ARCHIVE FCB
Madrid’s victory over Málaga means that Barça won’t win the league title this Wednesday

If Madrid fail to defeat Espanyol on Saturday, Barça will be champions

La Liga won’t be Barça’s this Wednesday. Real Madrid’s 6-1 victory over Málaga at the Santiago Bernabéu means Barça will have to wait to celebrate the title. In fact, Barça could be crowned champions on Saturday if Madrid fail to defeat Espanyol at Cornellà-El Prat or on Sunday if the Blaugrana defeat Atlético Madrid at the Vicente Calderón.

Champions on May 11?

If Barça win the league on Saturday, it would be the third time Barça win a league title without playing and the second title won on May 11. Curiously, the first time Barça claimed the title on May 11 was two years ago, when the Blaugrana secured a one-all draw away to Levante (1-1).

Sergio Busquets: “Winning a title is special and the league even more so”

Busquets / PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ-FCB
The Barça midfielder knows that the Barça fans “are proud of this team and will give the league title the merit it deserves”

Even though the players know they could become league champions this Wednesday if Real Madrid doesn’t win the match against Malaga tonight, they are still focussing on beating Atlético in the Calderon on Sunday to confirm the league title. Speaking to reporters at midday on Wednesday, Sergio Busquets revealed: “We’re ready to win the match on Sunday, but if [the league title] comes before then, it’ll be just as important. Winning a title is special and the league even more so. It’s the tournament of regularity and the most important. What’s more, it would be the fourth league title in five years and that would be spectacular”.

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Sergio Busquets is sure Barça fans will celebrate the league title in the way it deserves. “All the Barça fans are proud of this team. They know how important this team is and they want us to win the league”. And he’s in no doubt that a league championship has to be celebrated with a cavalcade through the city and a party at the stadium. “We want to do this and more now that the weeks are so long. It’s the best thing to do as we deserve it and so do all the fans”.

“It’s a complicated injury”

Busquets explained that his groin problem started towards the end of January. “I’ve improved since I started the treatment. It’s a very complicated injury because some days are better than others. You have to take it slowly and hope that you’re on the right track. I know it won’t go away overnight”. However, he ruled out having an operation: “I’m feeling better now”.

His future

On the subject of his future with the Barça he insisted: “I see myself here in the future and in the present. I’ve no intention of moving from here. I see myself with Barça”. For Busquets, long-serving players like Xavi, Puyol and Valdés “are an example to me”.

In fact, Sergio spoke about rumours that have surfaced recently that Carles Puyol could move on at the end of the season. “He’s already denied these rumours. We’re all delighted with Puyol. Let’s hope he can carry on for many more years. He’s looking good to me and he’s on the mend. He’s got a difficult injury but he’s keen to get better as soon as possible. You always have to put a brake on him because he wants to be with the team and get better as soon as possible. Right now I can’t imagine Barça without Puyol and Valdés, but the day will come. The years go by and everything moves on”.

“The league is the tournament of regularity and the most important. What’s more, it would be the fourth league title in five years and that would be spectacular”