WATCH : Lionel Messi gives Barcelona the lead against Levante

Barcelona fans were on cloud nine yesterday after news filtered in that they were close to securing Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool.

A few hours later, Barcelona confirmed the inevitable news, as Coutinho officially became a Barcelona player. The classy midfielder was a huge target for the Catalan club all through last year, and they finally prized him away for a deal that could go up to 160 million pounds.

Liverpool did not let him go in the summer, but Coutinho’s urge to leave the club was just too strong for Klopp to handle. While Liverpool does get a fortune in return, they are now tasked with replacing the mercurial player, who has one of the best players in the premier league in the last few years.

While Coutinho did not start today, Barcelona fans were hoping to get their first glimpse of their new star in the match, maybe sitting high up in the executive lounge.

What they did see though was Lionel Messi give the home side the lead against Levante, after a wonderful one-two with left back Jordi Alba.

WATCH THE GOAL HERE :