Although Barcelona has already celebrated its La Liga title, the stakes are as high as ever ahead of this spring's edition of El Clasico. Real Madrid will almost certainly finish the season in second or third, but they'll be plenty motivated to keep Barcelona from joining the ranks of invincible soccer teams.
While there’s still work to be done to secure its historic “Invincibles” status (most notably Sunday’s El Clasico at the Camp Nou), Barcelona took time off to celebrate its league and cup double on Monday with an open-top bus victory parade through the heart of the city.
Barcelona thrashed Sevilla 5-0 in the Copa del Rey final to secure their fourth straight title in the competition, and it was the outgoing Andres Iniesta who was at the heart of everything good for the Catalan side.
Earlier this week, it was revealed that the 33-year-old was on the brink of a move to Chinese Super League club Chongqing Dangdai, and the midfield maestro didn’t disappoint in securing his 31st piece of silverware with the club.
Up 3-0 at halftime of the 2018 Copa del Rey Final, Barcelona have almost certainly captured their fourth straight title in the competition. Luis Suarez opened the scoring in the 14th minute off a Philippe Coutinho assist, and Lionel Messi doubled the advantage in the 31st after a nasty back heel assist from Jordi Alba.
In the 40th minute, it was essentially game over after Suarez and Messi exchanged passes in the attacking third, leading to the Uruguayan’s second of the day (or one more than his entire Champions League campaign, if you prefer).
Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona are national treasures for Argentina. These two remarkable players have made history, not only for their country, but also for football in general.
Their legacies will always be remembered.
Lionel Messi's best goals are a feast for the eyes. He is not a force of nature; he is supernatural, mercurial...pure magic.
Fans of great soccer — even if they root for Real Madrid — are amazed and cannot get enough of Messi. Be it his goals, dribbles or out-of-this-world training routines, "La Pulga" is simply too good to miss.
Philippe Coutinho scored his first goal for Barcelona after coming on as a halftime substitute in their Copa del Rey semifinal second leg against Valencia Thursday. Coutinho scored four minutes after coming on as Barcelona eased into the final with a 3-0 aggregate victory.
Coutinho’s finish was sure a tidy one, but the majority of the credit has to go to Luis Suarez. The Uruguayan brilliantly worked a bit of space before turning provider for Barca’s all-important away goal at a packed Mestalla.
Here’s an idea: a book or film chronicling the moments when various footballers were first introduced to the otherworldly enigma that is Lionel Messi. It’d be a hugely enjoyable, albeit largely repetitive, piece.