BARCELONA: While the Barcelona men's team is at a low ebb yet again, their women's side is moving from strength to strength and captain Alexia Putellas warned yesterday "we'll be back for more" after winning a second successive women's Champions League.
They defeated rivals Lyon for the first time on Saturday in Bilbao to claim Champions League final victory and secure a first quadruple, which they celebrated with thousands of fans back home yesterday (May 26).
Aitana Bonmati and Putellas' goals earned Barcelona revenge against the French giants with a 2-0 win, after having fallen to the same side in the 2019 and 2022 finals.
Barca are currently women's football's most dominant force with three Champions League triumphs in four years.
With the Spanish Super Cup in the bag they sealed a fifth consecutive Liga F title with four games to spare, before hammering Real Sociedad to claim the Copa de la Reina.
Thousands of fans gathered at the city's town hall in the Plaza Sant Jaume to greet the team, who carried the team's four trophies through the streets.
"Whenever I come here I can hardly speak, that's a good thing," said Putellas, who had partied with her team-mates into the night in Bilbao.
"We have the third (Champions League), the second in a row, we have made history winning the four trophies, that is thanks to everybody."
Putellas insisted Barcelona were not finished yet.
"We will keep making history, we'll be back for more."
Barcelona coach Jonatan Giraldez, leaving at the end of the season to take over US side Washington Spirit, thanked the club's back-room staff.
"I'd like to highlight everything that we do off the pitch, thank you for your work," said Giraldez.
Players sang songs with fans from a balcony looking over the thousands of supporters gathered in the square.
"We will keep working to win more Champions Leagues, you are the best fans in the world, you have made this possible," said club president Joan Laporta.
Director of women's football Xavier Puig said he "started crying" when he saw the number of fans who had travelled to San Mames for the final on Saturday, estimated at 40,000.
"These are historic players, who with their effort and talent have brought us here, to the quadruple," he said.
"It means making history, I'm proud of the club and the fans that we have... we don't want it to end, that's why we look to the future.
"The women's section has a strategy, we have to work to meet objectives -- when you work in that way success arrives."
The club have not announced their new women's team coach but are expected to appoint one of Giraldez's assistants, Pere Romeu, to the post, opting to keep the ship as stable as possible.
Barcelona have been ridiculed this week for their treatment of men's team coach Xavi Hernandez, sacked on Friday just weeks after they said he would stay, but their women's team continues to do the city proud.