News
VIE 20.05.2016
Over the past weekend, the 2015/16 LaLiga season reached its climax, with FC Barcelona claiming the Liga BBVA title on the final matchday, keeping Real Madrid at bay with a 3-0 victory over Granada CF. Although the distance between Hong Kong and Spain is over 10,500 kilometres, the excitement of fans could be felt across the city with football fanatics flocking to local pubs and restaurants, or tuning in at home to watch events unfold. The matches were shown at a favourable time for local fans as they were televised live on Saturday night prime time (11pm), which is rare for late-night LaLiga followers here in Hong Kong.
In my opinion, Barcelona deserved to be champions for many reasons. Barcelona demonstrated a high level of discipline, teamwork and skill. Over recent seasons, fans have been delighted to witness the 'MSN' (Messi / Suarez and Neymar) arguably the most powerful forward line on the planet. Back in April, when Barcelona were in a mini-slump, the team responded with an 8-0 triumph over RC Deportivo. A few days later, they beat R. Sporting 6-0. Suarez was remarkable. He scored eight goals and recorded multiple assists in those two games, unbelievable statistics that you thought could only be accomplished in video games! Statistically speaking, he is incredible!
On the other hand, Lionel Messi has become more of a playmaker this season, stepping up to become a true mentor to his teammates. He was quoted as saying: "When the year starts the objective is to win everything with the team, personal records are secondary." This clearly demonstrates his dedication to, and the importance of, his teammates. On a side note, Messi draws a lot of media attention in Hong Kong, not only because of his football talents, but also because of his resemblance to a local celebrity and actor Cheung Ka Fai.
Barcelona have built a solid fan base in Hong Kong, one of the main reasons being the similarity in their style to the Spanish national team. In my opinion, teamwork is crucial to the success of a team, as demonstrated by the phenomenal success of Leicester City in England and the Golden State Warriors in the NBA. After such a thrilling end to the 2015/16 La Liga season, Hong Kong fans will be eager to watch the start of another astonishing campaign in August.
© LALIGA - 2016