Lionel Messi scored in his first game since trying to leave Barcelona as Ronald Koeman began his tenure as coach with a 4-0 Liga demolition of Villarreal.
Messi converted from the spot 10 minutes before half-time and then the Argentine's cross forced Pau Torres into an own-goal, after an early double from 17-year-old Ansu Fati had already put Barca in charge.
It meant Barcelona's past, present and future were all among the goals on the same afternoon.
Assessing the individual performances from the game, here is Barcelona player ratings:
BARCELONA RATINGS:
Neto – 6, Gifted a rare start.
Gerard Pique – 7, Pique was a commanding presence and he made a couple of key interceptions.
Sergio Busquets – 6, Busquets will face sterner tests this season, but his distribution was as good as ever.
Antoine Griezmann – 5, The Frenchman had a quiet game and was the least influential of Barca’s forward players.
Lionel Messi – 8, The skipper was a constant threat when running with the ball.
Philippe Coutinho – 7, The Brazilian forward constantly switched from left to right and linked well with Messi and Fati.
Clement Lenglet – 6, The French international didn’t have a great deal to do.
Jordi Alba – 7, The Spaniard made a key interception early on and then, at the other end, he pulled the ball back for Fati to net the opening goal.
Sergi Roberto – 7, Roberto was the quieter of the two full backs.
Frenkie De Jong – 6, The Dutchman went quietly about his business and looked settled.
Ansu Fati – 9, The 17-year-old was sensational. He broke the deadlock with an unstoppable finish, He netted a second four minutes later.
Substitutes:
Ousmane Dembele (69 minutes) – 7.
Pedri (69 minutes) – 6.
Miralem Pjanic (77 minutes) – N/A Making his Barca debut.
SEE ALSO | In-Depth Twitter Thread Ends Lionel Messi Vs Cristiano Ronaldo Debate Once And For All
Francisco Trincao (77 minutes) – N/A The Portuguese attacker earned a cameo role.
This article was most recently revised and updated 11 months ago
