Now that the pomp and circumstance of Barcelona’s Copa del Rey win over Sevilla has subsided, Lionel Messi has posted a message to Facebook that speaks to his appreciation of how he and his teammates suffered and persevered in order to accomplish their goals.
Messi isn’t just providing lip service when he says that Barcelona suffered in the final against Sevilla.
Sevilla did a brilliant job of equalizing Barcelona in midfield for most of the match. Messi had to work especially hard to manufacture chances, especially once Barcelona went down to 10 men.
But Barcelona’s suffering would only last for so long. Once Sevilla received a red card of their own, Barcelona found itself in a favorable position. Ten on 10 gave Barcelona’s talent more room to operate, and Messi proved decisive.
He strolled into his assist to Alba:
And patiently possessed the ball at the edge of Sevilla’s area before playing in Neymar:
No other goals would be scored, and Barcelona won 2-0.
Another season has passed and Barcelona have picked up two more trophies. That such success has become normal speaks to just how good Barcelona have been over the past few years, and makes it easier to devalue, especially considering Barcelona lost out on the biggest trophy of all, the Champions League.
But messages like Messi’s above, and the scenes at the Vicente Calderon after the final whistle blew, put into perspective just how much Barcelona still care about winning trophies, even if most casual fans sigh when they do it.
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