Barcelona are La Liga champions, and you can probably guess the man that secured the title this evening. No, not Thomas Vermaelen.
The Catalan side entered this evening's clash against Levante at the Camp Nou knowing that a win would wrap up the league title, their fourth in the last five seasons, and eighth in the last 11.
With a massive Champions League tie against Liverpool in midweek on the horizon, and with three more chances to secure the title coming up, Ernesto Valverde decided to rest a certain Argentine superstar for the clash.
In what was expected to be a stroll in the park for the home side, they would be unable to break down a determined Levante outfit in the opening half. Luckily for the Barcelona manager, he had an ace up his sleeve.
Lionel Messi would be introduced at the interval, replacing Philippe Coutinho. You can probably guess what happened next.
Messi would grab the first, and ultimately all-important, goal of the game just after the hour mark. Arturo Vidal would nod the ball down to his captain in the penalty area, before the forward took two defenders out of the game with one touch and dispatched beautifully beyond the opposition goalkeeper.
That would prove to be the only goal of the game, as Messi added a ninth La Liga winners medal to his considerable personal tally. With domestic glory secured, continental domination will no doubt be next on his list.
Liverpool will provide a formidable opponent. Along with Barca and Manchester City, they are amongst the elite of the elite in European football this season.
Their defence has rightly won plenty of plaudits during the current campaign, having conceded fewer goals than any other side in Europe's top five leagues. Breaking down such a unit is unlikely to be a daunting task for Messi however, setting up what is sure to be a mouthwatering pair of games over the next 10 days.
