The Barcelona sports papers took an uncharacteristically religious turn yesterday, speaking of faith, miracles and calling for prayers. But God was not on their side last night, even if Gimnastic, the home side, were. Gimnastic were relegated before this match, but their fans gave the players a standing ovation when they came on. Then they roared on Barça, their fellow Catalans.

Or so it seemed. The mood changed when Lionel Messi scored the fourth goal in a 5-1 victory. After that, they celebrated loudly the news of the Real Madrid goals that clinched the title and a small riot ensued. A strange crowd.

Frank Rijkaard, the Barcelona coach, said after the match: “All we could do was win and hope. It’s a shame, we did the job.

“But if everything depended on what happened today, that’s because in other matches we didn’t do what we needed to.”

He dodged questions about the future, but it has been clear for some time that Barcelona need freshening up and, of the present squad, only 11 players are certain to be staying. It would be surprising if Rijkaard were not kept on after two La Liga titles and two second-place finishes, plus a European Cup, but there have been doubts about his authority in the dressing-room.

It is said that if Rijkaard stays he will impose certain conditions, one of which is that the disruptive Samuel Eto’o be transferred. As for Ronaldinho, with AC Milan allegedly willing to offer ¤100 million (about £68 million) for the player, his future remains uncertain.

But Barcelona will think twice about letting him go. Since he arrived, the club have increased their average gate by 22,000. If Thierry Henry joins him, that can only mean more money in the bank.