Barcelona players praise Messi after his heroics against Alaves led the club off to a winning start in the La Liga.
Barca star Lionel Messi scored a brace as the Catalan club kicked-off their La Liga campaign with a 3-0 win against Alaves. It was a hard-fought victory for Barcelona as Messi opened the scoring with a free-kick under the wall in the 64th minute.
Philippe Coutinho, the second-half substitute then doubled the lead in the 83rd minute, before Messi scored again in extra time to give Barcelona a convincing victory in the match.
Lionel Messi’s teammates heaped praises over the Argentine star after his emphatic performance for Barcelona yesterday. During the post-match interview, players like Sergi Roberto, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba commended Lionel Messi’s display against Alaves.
“Whether in midfield or at full back, I’m just happy to help the team. It was important to start with a win. Leo is still up to his tricks,” said Sergi Roberto.
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Sergio Busquets conceded that it was a hard game until Lionel Messi changed the game with his skills. “It was quite hard, until Messi appeared with his work of art,” said Busquets.
Messi’s free-kick was also Barcelona’s 6000th goal in the La Liga history. Barca defender Jordi Alba also talked about Lionel Messi after his brace.
“Leo makes the difference all the time. He hits perfection every year. We’ll never see another like him,” said Alba.
Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde said that it’s a blessing to live in the era of Messi. “We are so fortunate to be living in the time when Leo Messi is playing. It’s a pleasure to have him playing for us, he never fails to surprise,” said the Barcelona manager.
Barcelona will now face Real Valladolid in the match-week 2 of La Liga on August 26.
