MADRID – Lionel Messi scored in his first game since trying to leave Barcelona as Ronald Koeman began his tenure as coach by overseeing a 4-0 Liga demolition of Villarreal on Sunday.
Messi converted from the spot 10 minutes before half-time and then the Argentine’s cross forced Pau Torres into an own-goal after an early double from the 17-year-old Ansu Fati had already put Barca in charge.
It meant Barcelona’s past, present and future were all among the goals on the same afternoon as Luis Suarez, whose departure was confirmed on Thursday, marked his Atletico Madrid debut by scoring twice in a 6-1 win over Granada.
In a farewell message to his best friend and former neighbour last week, Messi took another swipe at the Barca board by saying he was not surprised by the clumsy way Suarez’s exit had been handled.
His complaints raised doubts about his state of mind heading into the season and at the end of a traumatic summer in which Barcelona’s greatest ever player admitted he was being forced to stay against his will.
Koeman insisted on Saturday that Messi had been “leading by example” in training and his confidence was repaid at Camp Nou, where the striker, and club-captain, delivered an excellent display.
“It is always important to win games, you gain confidence,” said Koeman. “This result helps us to improve and be clear about what we want.”
Messi’s anger over Suarez shows he is still at odds with Barcelona’s president Josep Maria Bartomeu and his long-term future remains uncertain, but on the pitch, he delivered.
Victories and goals could encourage him to stay, not to mention the talented Fati, who on this evidence can be a huge asset for his captain's hopes of winning back the title.
“Ansu is a young player who has to seek consistency in his game and in his performances,” said Koeman. “He has shown that he has a great future at Barca and I am very happy with him.”
Fati became Spain’s youngest ever international scorer earlier this month and the teenager, deployed on the left of Barcelona’s attacking trio, made an explosive start to the season for his club.
He fired Jordi Alba’s pull-back into the top corner and then drove a second inside the post after Philippe Coutinho was allowed to carry the ball forward and spread it wide.
Fati then won the penalty, his feet too quick for Mario Gaspar, and Messi slid in his first goal of the season before his cross, aimed for Sergio Busquets, was poked into Villarreal’s net by Pau. – AFP, September 28, 2020
