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Sweet send-off: Luis Enrique departs Barcelona in Copa del Rey glory

Reuters / Susana Vera

Barcelona claimed its third consecutive Copa del Rey title on Saturday, beating Alaves 3-1 at the Vicente Calderon and giving outgoing manager Luis Enrique a ninth piece of silverware in the last three years.

Goals from Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Paco Alcacer proved enough to see the Blaugrana to their first and only trophy of the 2016-17 season, giving Enrique a fitting farewell in his final match at the helm of the club. Theo Hernandez found an equalising effort at 1-1, before Barcelona took control of the match at the stroke of half-time.

Under Enrique, Barcelona won La Liga twice and the Copa del Rey three times. The club also secured Champions League, UEFA Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup wins in 2015, the year Enrique was named La Liga Coach of the Year.

But with Real Madrid taking La Liga this season and potentially the Champions League against Juventus, Barcelona was limited to a Copa del Rey prize for its efforts in 2016-17, the year Enrique announced he would be leaving the club.

Still, for Barcelona, a trophy to celebrate is never unwelcome.

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