BARCELONA won the 2015-16 La Liga title after its comfortable 3-0 win over Granada on Saturday.

    The defending champions made light work of the home side at Los Carmenes thanks to a hat trick from Luis Suarez, who claims the Pichichi prize for top scorer after finishing with 40 for the season.

    Barca end the campaign with 91 points, just one ahead of fierce rival Real Madrid, which won 2-0 at Deportivo La Coruna.

    Atletico Madrid’s challenge ended when it was beaten 2-1 by Levante earlier this month.

    Barca’s triumph is its sixth in the last eight seasons and its 24th overall, leaving it eight behind the record tally held by Madrid.

    The team now turns its attention to the Copa del Rey final with Sevilla at the Vicente Calderon next Sunday.

    Suarez converted Jordi Alba’s low pass in the 22nd minute to give Barca the lead. He then headed in Dani Alves’ cross in the 38th before tapping Neymar’s pass into an empty net in the 86th.

    “We were on top of the table for many weeks and the most consistent team wins the title,” coach Luis Enrique told a news conference.

    “We will celebrate this, we enjoy our team and the style in which they play. We must value each title win because it is worth a lot.”

    Suarez finished the season as La Liga’s top scorer with 40 goals, breaking Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi’s grip on the honor since 2009.

    Ronaldo scored twice for Real before being substituted at halftime, finishing the campaign with 35 goals.

    Gerard Pique came close to giving Barca an early lead when his header was tipped away by goalkeeper Andres Fernandez, who also saved well from Messi.

    Fernandez was powerless to stop Suarez’s opener, however, the Uruguayan tapping the ball home at the far post.

    The second goal was delightful. Javier Mascherano launched a long diagonal pass toward the byline and Alves raced to meet it before hooking a cross for Suarez to nod in from close range.

    Suarez nearly laid on a third for Neymar but the Brazilian was denied by Fernandez.

    Neymar then generously played in Suarez to complete his hat trick before the end.

    “This title tastes great after so much hard work throughout the year and suffering right until the end,” said Barca captain Andres Iniesta.

    “The league is the tournament that tests your consistency throughout the year and it’s the one we want to win every year.”

    Real got off to an ideal start at Deportivo when Gareth Bale maneuvered his way past a defender on the left and cut the ball back to Karim Benzema, who squared it for Ronaldo to score in the seventh minute.

    The Portugal striker’s second in the 25th minute had an element of good fortune, his header from a corner bouncing off Deportivo’s Pedro Mosquera on its way into the net.

    Ronaldo also hit the post and the crossbar before being replaced by James Rodriguez although there was no suggestion he had an injury two weeks before the Champions League final against Atletico Madrid.

    Real ended a campaign that has witnessed upheaval and managerial change by picking up a 12th consecutive league win but its revival came too late to catch Barca. (SD-Agencies)