Now that the pomp and circumstance of Barcelona’s Copa del Rey win over Sevilla has subsided, Lionel Messi has posted a message to Facebook that speaks to his appreciation of how he and his teammates suffered and persevered in order to accomplish their goals.
After Barcelona battled with 10 men for all but 36 minutes, two moments of brilliance from Lionel Messi led to two goals. The second coming from a through ball from Messi that Neymar calmly slotted into the opposite side netting to seal the deal at Vincente Calderon Stadium.
Neymar celebrating his goal which afterwards he said: "Se acabo!" (It's over!) #fcblive [efe] pic.twitter.com/IAsMqJ2mDH
Down a man after only 36 minutes and without Luis Suarez, their leading scorer, Barcelona were still able to overcome Sevilla after extra time in Sunday's Copa del Rey final thanks to a brilliant assist from Lionel Messi to Jordi Alba. Neymar added a second goal in the 122nd minute off of another great pass from Messi.
Barcelona, recently crowned La Liga champions, faced off against Sevilla, recent winners of the UEFA Europa League, at the Vicente Calderon Stadium in the Spanish capital of Madrid.
As Barcelona prepare for their Copa del Rey Final against Sevilla, the folks at FC Barcelona’s official YouTube channel have released a timely reminder for Sevillistas of their tormentor in chief, Lionel Messi.
Messi has scored 25 goals against Sevilla — 20 in La Liga, three in the Spanish Super Cup and two in the European Super Cup. However, Messi’s most domineering performance against the side from Andalusia came at the youth level.
Well it’s official, Barcelona are the 2015/16 La Liga champions. Barcelona secured the title with its 3-0 win over Granada today. The game was never in doubt, and Barcelona cruised to their 6th title in 8 years, the 24th in their history.
Luis Suarez is in the midst of his greatest season as a professional. He’s scored 56 goals in 51 appearances for Barcelona and could end up with the Pichichi, awarded to the top goalscorer of each La Liga season. At only 29 years of age, the Barca striker should be at the top of his game for some time yet.
Forbes have released their annual list of the world’s richest clubs, and the results reveal a dramatic shift in global football. While Real Madrid occupy the top spot for the fourth consecutive year (valued at $3.645 billion), English clubs now occupy six of the top 10 spots. Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur have each seen their value increase by over 40% in one-year.
In an interview with ESPN, Lionel Messi detailed his ambitions for the remainder of the club season. Messi and Barcelona will be looking to capture two titles in the space of a week — a victory over Granada on May 14 will see them capture the La Liga crown, while Sevilla await in the final of the Copa del Rey on May 22.
Barcelona is back on track to retain their La Liga crown after they handed out a 5-0 thrashing to city rival Espanyol in the Derbi Barceloni on Sunday. The victory was especially sweet for Barcelona, as during the last meeting between the two clubs, Espanyol keeper Pau Lopez stomped on Messi after the Barca star went down in front of the goal.
Outside of Leicester City, one of the most improbable feel good stories of the year is the rejuvenation of French winger Hatem Ben Arfa's career. On January 4, 2015, Ben Arfa was released from his contract with Newcastle United, making him a free agent. Now, a little over a year later, he’s on the verge of signing for Barcelona as a vital back-up for their heralded front three of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez.