Lionel Messi netted twice in another masterful performance to brush aside Athletic Bilbao and win the Copa Del Rey.
Messi climbed onto the tribune after leading the 4-0 win and lifted the trophy high, turning to his team on the pitch below.
Only some tenacious defending in its area kept Bilbao in the match until Barcelona erupted with four goals between the 60th and 72nd minutes.
The bombardment started in the fifth when Messi set up Frenkie de Jong, who played a perfect aide to Messi throughout the match, to hit the post.
The second half continued with Messi dictating the pace, and now Unai Simon had to save Bilbao.
But the Spain goalkeeper could do nothing to deny Antoine Griezmann in the 60th minute. Griezmann’s sliced in a one-touch strike off De Jong’s cross from the right after Messi had again taken the ball and forced Bilbao to scramble back into its box.
With Bilbao reeling, Barcelona struck again in the 63rd _ this time from the left. Messi also played a subtle part in this goal, making a dummy run to open space for De Jong to push forward and head in Jordi Alba’s cross.
De Jong then helped Messi slalom through Bilbao from near the middle of the field into the heart of the area by exchanging two quick passing combinations with the star. Messi capped the move by dribbling past the last defender before slotting in his team’s third goal in the 68th.
Messi rounded off his stellar performance that earned him a 35th career title for Barcelona when he fired in a pass from Alba.
Messi did not mention his future after he received the trophy from Spain’s King Felipe VI, one of the few dignitaries along with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in attendance at a stadium closed to fans due to coronavirus restrictions.
