Advertisement
X

What They Said: Real Madrid's Title Triumph Celebrated In The Capital As Lionel Messi 'Explodes'

The Madrid and Barcelona sports newspapers had strikingly different takes on the night that saw the 2019-20 LaLiga title decided

Real Madrid's record-extending 34th LaLiga title was heralded as "Unforgettable!" in the Spanish capital, but in Barcelona the mourning was just beginning on Friday. (More Football News)

The newsstands in each city presented front pages that could hardly have been more contrasting, with the Madrid-based papers in celebratory mood and those from Barcelona reflecting a solemn tone.

Madrid clinched their latest success with a 2-1 win over Villarreal on Thursday, and Lionel Messi's brutal assessment of Barca's failings also caught the eye in the Spanish sports press.

Here is a look at how they reported the triumph of Zinedine Zidane's team, and a grim night for Quique Setien's Barca.

MARCA: "Unforgettable!"

Spain's best-known sports newspaper is Madrid-based, and its wraparound cover showed Zidane's squad in party mood.

AS: "And they go to 34!"

As well as quoting Zidane's comment that the title made him "happier than the Champions League", Madrid-based AS found space on its own wraparound cover for Messi, saying he "explodes after the latest fiasco" for Barcelona.

SPORT "This isn't enough"

Barcelona-based SPORT pictured a despondent Messi, accompanied by his declaration that the Catalan giants have not reached the heights required of champions.

MUNDO DEPORTIVO: "Messi explodes"

Another Barcelona-based daily reflected the anger of captain Messi, who said after Madrid landed the title that his team must be "self-critical" before next season begins.

L'ESPORTIU: "People are running out of patience because we don’t give them anything"

The Catalan-language sports newspaper inevitably also focused on the frustrations of Messi, picturing the Argentinian with the Barcelona shirt pulled over his face.

L'EQUIPE: "The jewels of Real"

Madrid's title provided cause for celebration in France, where the high-circulation sports daily L'Equipe splashed with pictures of Zidane and Karim Benzema, the two Frenchmen at the centre of Los Blancos' success story.

Show comments
US