Messi lifts the trophy
Lionel Messi, the super talented Argentine footballer, now has more
crowns than any other Blaugrana player in history, as he marked his
first game as official captain with a win
The Barcelona superstar became the most successful player in the
history of the club on Sunday as he helped the Catalans to a thrilling
Supercopa victory over Sevilla.
The Argentine took the field for the first time since the World Cup
to lead Barcelona in the traditional curtain-raiser, played overseas
for the first time in Tangier, Tunisia .
And that lack of playing time seemed to take its toll on Messi and
his team-mates early on, when Pablo Sarabia converted to give Sevilla
the lead.
Barca hit back, however, with Leo in the thick of the action as usual.
The captain’s free-kick rebounded via the woodwork into the path of
Gerard Pique, who turned in to level the scores at the end of the first
half.
Ousmane Dembele later made it 2-1 with a thumping long-range
finish, while Sevilla squandered a golden chance to equalise when Wissam
Ben Yedder saw his penalty saved in the final seconds.
As Andres Iniesta’s successor as Blaugrana captain, it fell on
Messi to lift the Supercopa trophy, a landmark achievement for the
amazing Argentine.
That win means Messi has now lifted 33 titles during his Barcelona career, more than any other player in the club’s history.
That haul includes four Champions League wins, nine La Liga crowns
and six Copas del Rey, as well as a record five Ballons d’Or.
And while Messi may need a few more matches to drop back into his
scintillating regular form, it would take a brave man to bet against the
31-year-old star adding to that collection by the end of the current
season.