Raphael Varane has claimed that his Real Madrid side lacked the necessary luck to win the La Liga title this season.

Barcelona's 1-0 win away at Atletico Madrid yesterday evening secured the trophy for Luis Enrique's men, who hold a four-point advantage over Los Blancos with just one game remaining.

Speaking after Madrid had beaten Espanyol 4-1, French centre-back Varane insisted that the team had given everything that they could to the cause.

"We wanted to win the title, but sometimes that can't be done. We gave it our all, this is an extremely professional side," he told the club's official website.

"There were key moments during the season in which we weren't able to pick up vital points and we lacked a bit of luck at times. It wasn't enough. We have to congratulate the champions because they have done very well. We'll try to win it next year."

Real have now gone three years without winning the title.