In case you didn’t know…
Barcelona felt the glaring absence of Messi as they suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Athletic Bilbao in their opening La Liga fixture on Friday.
Veteran striker Aritz Aduriz’s late goal earned Athletic their first league win over the Catalan giants since 2013. The 38-year-old made an immediate impact off the bench and produced a spectacular overhead kick after meeting Ander Capa’s cross in the 89th minute.
The Catalan giants struggled to impress, despite fielding their new £107 million signing Antoine Griezmann, and lost yet another player to injury as Luis Suarez was taken off after the half-hour mark after picking up a calf injury.
Messi, who was in scintillating form for the Blaugrana last season, was not included in the squad list after suffering a calf injury last week and even missed the team’s pre-season tour of the United States.
The heart of the matter
Speaking after the game, Valverde reflected on his side’s ability and identity without Messi, telling reporters, via SPORT,
What’s next?
Barcelona will next take on Real Betis at the Camp Nou on 25th August.
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