Tuesday, March 16, 2021 at 07:14• Last update: 07:27

Barcelona did excellent business on Monday evening in the battle for the Spanish national title. The team of trainer Ronald Koeman was too strong for Huesca, 4-1, thanks in part to two goals from Lionel Messi. The Argentinian played his 767th match in the service of Barcelona, ​​equaling Xavi’s club record. The Spanish newspapers are full of praise for the performance of the 33-year-old captain, who has now scored 21 goals this LaLiga season. The Spanish newspapers are full of praise for Messi’s achievements.

“Making something extraordinarily normal is his greatest virtue,” he adds ASH to read. “He equaled Xavi’s record number of appearances for Barcelona and finished with one doblete (two goals, ed.), number 130 in LaLiga, and an assist to celebrate. But this alone would be short of Messi. His first goal was an unmitigated genius, a goal everyone hopes to score one day. In the first place because of the way he moves the ball, with a suppleness that Jorge Pulido had no answer to, and then his striking bang. A golazo. For Messi it is simply one more goal, but for the rest of the mortals it would be a godsend. His second was again a golazo and number 661 as Azulgrana. Madness. ”

Sport only hands out sixes and sevens, except for Messi. The Catalan sports newspaper gives the club top scorer of all time a ten for his achievements. “There is nothing better to celebrate a historic number of matches for Barcelona with a golazo. A great goal that quickly broke open the game. The Argentinian is enjoying the field again nowadays and it shows. He even tried with the right, he was constantly looking for the ball and he ended the goal-rich victory with an extraordinary individual action. The best football player in the world is a legend. ”

Also Mundo Deportivo praises Messi and his opening goal in the thirteenth minute. “He is the player with the most matches in Barça’s history and he celebrated that with an absolute masterpiece in the form of a goal. He turned away from Pulido and shot the ball beautifully into the intersection. ” The Spanish sports newspaper is also very positive about the role of Frenkie de Jong. The the Dutch-international played centrally in the rearguard between Óscar Mingueza and Clément Lenglet, and sometimes also made an attacking impression. In the first half he was close to a goal when he hit the crossbar on a pass from Jordi Alba. “It cleans, repairs and gives shine. The bar prevented him from scoring on his only outbreak from an offensive point of view. ”

“It was his day and that was clear from the start,” writes Marca. “He matched Xavi’s record number of games and did it in style, with a phenomenal goal and the assist on Mingueza’s first goal in the first team.” Spain’s best-selling sports newspaper is also positive about De Jong’s role in Koeman’s 3-4-3 system. “The Dutchman again played in the rear, but he still participated a lot in possession. Together with Jordi Alba he took the initiative at the ball. ” With a 3-1 lead and still half an hour on the clock, Koeman decided to take De Jong to the side.

Besides Messi it was also the evening of Pedri. The talented midfielder can look back on a wonderful day, as he was first called up for the national team of Spain on Monday. “He was first called up by Luis Enrique and today he showed why,” writes Marca. “It was not the night where he had the most influence on the game of Barcelona, ​​but he let the ball go well.” Afterwards, the eighteen-year-old talent briefly commented on the call-up for the Spanish team: “I was home when I heard it. I am surprised to be able to represent my country. It makes me proud and I am really looking forward to it, ”said Pedri.