Messi hat-trick secures Barcelona’s 25th La Liga title

That completes the league and cup double for this season.

Barcelona clinched the La Liga title on Sunday evening, winning 4-2 away to Deportivo La Coruña. Early goals from Philippe Coutinho and Lionel Messi gave Barça a two goal lead on a rainy night in Galicia, but the hosts refused to roll over. Deportivo pulled one back before the break through former Arsenal forward Lucas Perez, who could have had a first half brace if his rebound had not been ruled out for offside. While Barça needed just a point to clinch the title, Depor needed a win in order to retain their status as a top flight club for at least another week, trailing 17th placed Levante by 12 points.  Clarence Seedorf's team showed tremendous fight as they equalised just after the hour mark through Emre Çolak, and pushed forward in search of a winner, with nothing to lose. But they were ultimately undone by two goals from Lionel Messi in the last ten minutes of the game. Messi wanted to win in style, and ensured that Barça did so, finishing off two slick passing moves with typically clinical finishing. That would put the Argentine on top of the pile as the leading scorer for the European Golden Boot. Gerard Piqué gave himself licence to bomb forward in the final minutes of the match, and almost got his name on the scoresheet had it not been for an incredible, point blank save from Rubén Martínez. This La Liga title brings them one step closer to matching Real Madrid's record of 33 league titles. Barça are still way ahead of Madrid in terms of cup victories, though, with 30 Copas del Rey compared to Real Madrid's 19. Tonight's result also sees Deportivo descend to the Segunda with Málaga and Las Palmas, both of whom have endured terrible seasons after mid-table finishes in 2016/17.