With the European season officially at an end, Football España will be reviewing each and every one of the La Liga sides and how they fared this season.
La Liga: 1st – 88 points
Champions League: Semi-final
Copa del Rey: Winners
Spanish Supercup: Winners
Top Goalscorer: Robert Lewandowski – 42
Top Assister: Raphinha and Lamine Yamal – 25
When Barcelona began the season, there were doubts about Dani Olmo, their only summer signing, and generally about Joan Laporta’s second mandate. By the end of it, Olmo might remain the biggest doubt, because Hansi Flick managed to obtain the maximum out of almost everything and everyone.
The season began with promise, a free-flowing attack, and a smile replaced the uniform of glum expressions at Barcelona. Major wins against Real Madrid and Bayern Munich turned optimism into genuine belief, and despite losing their way in spectacular fashion in November and December, Flick saw Barcelona come out the other side.
In 2025, Frenkie de Jong joined Raphinha on the redemption arc, and Barcelona lost just twice on their way to three trophies in Spain, and a semi-final run in Europe. Despite repeated reports of the demise of Barcelona’s high line, only an absurd goalkeeping performance and the woodwork saw Inter past the Blaugrana in the Champions League. In August, it looked as if Barcelona could be facing an era of Real Madrid dominance: Flick’s side beat down that suggestion with 16 goals in four Clasicos.
Maybe the plus should have been reserved for a Champions League victory, but winning La Liga was a prospect that required plenty of imagination at the start of the season. Not only did Barcelona do that, they did so in swashbuckling style, playing the best football seen in Catalonia since Luis Enrique’s fearsome front three.
The individual turnarounds cannot be ignored: Raphinha went from a bargaining chip to a Ballon d’Or candidate, Robert Lewandowski soared past 40 goals, Pedri went from unable to play to unplayable, and Inigo Martinez roared his defence forward with warrior abandon. Lamine Yamal was coming off a brilliant Euro 2024 campaign, but even he transformed into scarier phenomenon, whisking away big team after big team with his magical feet.
President Laporta: "We can sign normally. We are about to make an imminent signing and are working on another." @FCBarcelona
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) June 18, 2025
An almost impossible task, that based purely contributions across the season, could probably have gone to Lamine Yamal or Pedri. Yet this was the season of Raphinha. His hunger, aggression and explosiveness typified what this Barcelona were about this year.
Time and again, Raphinha appeared, a looming monument over the football match, the Corcovado itself coming up with inspiration to down Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Benfica among others. Only an lapse, an accident, robbed him of another of those moments against Inter.
As with the previous award, this one has other pretenders, and only his injury issues see Frenkie de Jong miss out. From the first moment though, Inigo Martinez set the tone in a young football team, and marshalled a backline that by Flick’s own admission, was counter-cultural to what his ageing legs and head asked of him.
The 33-year-old wasn’t even a certainty to be at the club this season, and by the end of the season, his absence meant goals being leaked. Behind him, first Marc-Andre ter Stegen, then the melancholy Inaki Pena, then the altogether jovial retired man helping out a mate. To his left, Alejandro Balde lacking confidence, to his right, an 18-year-old Pau Cubarsi. In front of him lay Pedri, playing deeper for the first time in three years, and Marc Casado, playing at this level for the first time. Flick’s praise of Martinez was reserved for precious few.
Mercurial is often used as praise, but in Dani Olmo’s case, it was his hindrance. There were times when Olmo produced magic that won Barcelona games, finding space in a straightjacket. Yet despite his goal against Inter, Olmo struggled to hit the right notes against Real Madrid and Italians in the closing stages. Inconsistency was aided by injury, and the feeling is that Olmo could be Barcelona’s X factor, but is currently just an X factor.
Plenty of reason for more optimism. Whether they win La Liga next season or not is a different conversation, but you can almost guarantee they will challenge. Barcelona will be one of the favourites for the Champions League too, and if they can keep their key players fit, there is no reason to think the Blaugrana cannot compete with anyone, and in every competition.
Another reason for relief is the Club World Cup. Barcelona will have a rare full preseason this summer, and more than a month off, commodities that most managers cannot buy. The good news is that Barcelona managed all this with some obvious holes in their squad, and clear room for improvement. Expectation next year will be one weight they did not have to carry around this time round though.
