Barcelona enjoyed success in 2015 after lifting the Club World Cup with a fine 3-0 win over River Plate.

The team had already won the likes of the Champions League and the league title this year. Even though they were clear favourites for the Club World Cup, the prospect of facing Argentine champions River Plate was always going to be daunting. However, they came away with a quite comfortable victory following goals from Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi. The former had a bigger say with two goals compared to the Little Argentine, who opened the scoring. This was the second consecutive win for the club in all competitions.

The Catalan club will now be able to enjoy a much deserved break before returning to the league campaign with a home game against Real Betis. There were doubts about Barcelona succeeding at a Club World Cup due to the recent domestic form. Dropped points against Deportivo la Coruna and Valencia have allowed the likes of Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid to close the gap. The 1-1 draw against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League, though, had little significance since the team had already qualified as the group winners. Barcelona will be hoping to become the first team to defend the Champions League ground when they take on Arsenal in the last 16.

“To finish the year with a fifth title – it was a clear goal for us. In football it is increasingly difficult to win. What matters is the way they earn titles, not just the number of titles, but the way they win.Barca’s style remains appealing to anyone who loves football. These players are unique. They are brilliant on a human level. They have put in a tremendous effort here and it is something to be proud of,” said Enrique.