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La Liga Barca have now won three consecutive Clasico finals Fadel Senna/ AFP via Getty Images As Barcelona’s players started their lap of honour after being crowned Supercopa de Espana winners with a 3-2 victory over Real Madrid, Lamine Yamal quietly made his way to the edge of the group. He stood alone, staring intently at his medal. He was wearing sunglasses and had another pair in his hair. When a camera operator approached him, the 18-year-old realised he was being watched. Advertisement He pointed to the gold around his neck, then to the Barcelona crest sewn onto the breast of his shirt. He repeated the movement several times and smiled widely, before turning to play around with the club’s mascot. He was probably already thinking about what dances he would record with Alejandro Balde, Marc Casado and Roony Bardghji when they were back in the dressing room for his 38 million Tik Tok followers. Barca had just won a third final in a row against Madrid — a new achievement in the long history of their rivalry. It is an achievement assisted by the Supercopa’s modern redevelopment, but never before had Barca won three consecutive Clasicos with silverware on the line. For many, Real Madrid is the king of finals, one of the clubs to have played the most in football history. According to DAZN, they have played 106 finals, winning 68. They have met Barcelona in 20 finals, winning 11 times. Those figures have much improved for the Catalans in recent times. In the past three years, Barca have beaten Madrid in four finals — the Supercopas of 2023, 2025 and 2026, as well as last season’s Copa del Rey. In the previous 123 years (Barca were founded in 1899), they had beaten Madrid in just five finals. At this moment, a quote from Thierry Henry comes to mind. “All European clubs fear Real Madrid and Real Madrid fears Barcelona, ” the former striker said on CBS in May 2022, before that year’s Champions League final between Real Madrid and Liverpool. Barca’s group of cheeky young players have set out to prove him right. They might have grown up watching Real Madrid celebrate serial Champions League titles, but they have brought something fresh and powerful to this team in their attitude. With players such as Yamal — as well as fellow La Masia graduates Fermin Lopez, Alejandro Balde, and Pau Cubarsi, who were all in the starting XI on Sunday — Barca have been transformed. No longer cautious, restrained and pessimistic when it comes to their eternal enemy, they now play these games with a thrilling confidence and freedom. Advertisement Yamal exemplifies the change in mentality within the team. There’s no complexes. He, like team-mates around him, has grown by putting fun first. He is the complete opposite of what one would think of as typical of the Catalan character. He is uninhibited, cheeky, and fun. He is not afraid of failure. The general stereotype (one that I have grown up with as Catalan myself) dictates that we tend to prefer caution, to go unnoticed, to not take risks. In October 2024, at 17, Yamal celebrated scoring against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu by showing off his customised blaugrana braces. It was as if it were all a game to him and he wasn’t on one of the biggest football stages in the world. This October, he made some pre-Clasico comments that rather backfired in the context of the result, but that was in no way considered a setback. He has brushed it off. He is the star of the team, and the confidence he has built, since making his debut aged 15 in April 2023, transmits to the rest. They say that every cloud has a silver lining. Barcelona’s money troubles — they still have the biggest debt in world football — have limited their hand in the transfer market, even with some creative financial maneuvering. The silver lining is La Masia. Barca’s youth academy has always been important to the club, but a series of young players have been given an opportunity that, in previous years, might not have been presented. A generational talent such as Yamal would surely have broken through regardless, but what about Lopez, Gerard Martin, or maybe even Cubarsi? These players — as well as other youngsters such as Pedri, Casado, Marc Bernal, and the injured Gavi — have proved they have the talent the team needs, and they have also relished taking on responsibility. Barca’s new generation have made their debuts, gained confidence and gone on to achieve. Last season’s domestic treble was impressive. Last night’s Supercopa win adds weight, but there will be hope of further major titles to come, with the team four points clear of Madrid in La Liga and in a strong position to progress to the Champions League knockouts. In that competition, the one Barca fans so desperately want, having last won it in 2015, there is a recognition that things must improve further to be truly considered contenders. Advertisement But this young group, guided by the more seasoned Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha, seem capable. They have already ripped apart the history books when it comes to meetings with their eternal enemies. This season, Xabi Alonso’s team won 2-1 in La Liga at the Bernabeu in October, but Barca have undoubtedly become a thorn in the side of Real Madrid’s latest Galactico project, led by Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham. Last term, Flick’s side won all four Clasicos (two in La Liga, the Supercopa final, and the Copa del Rey final). Before, there was a feeling that Barca could lose even if they were winning. Now, there is almost a certainty that the team will end up victorious, even if they go behind, as happened against Madrid last season in the Copa del Rey final. Hansi Flick is also an optimistic person who has helped improve Barca’s mentality. When he arrived as Xavi’s replacement in the summer of 2024, he found a young squad exposed to a lot of pressure. He helped them put things into perspective, to take football as something to enjoy — because that’s how he takes it, too. “We are in a good mood, we have a lot of confidence, and hopefully we can build it up a little bit more, increase the confidence, ” the German said after Sunday’s victory. “I don’t think about the past games. We are always looking for the next one. This final was really important for us because against Real Madrid it’s always something special. ” It was special. With him, it seems Barca have finally learned to win finals against Madrid. Before joining The Athletic as a football writer, Laia Cervelló worked at Diario Sport reporting on FC Barcelona for four years. She has also worked for another four years for Be IN SPORTS Spain and GOLTV. She began her career as a journalist at 'betevé', the public television station in Barcelona, where she spent almost nine years. Follow Laia on Twitter @Laia_Cervello