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La Liga | Gameweek 1
Aug 18, 2018 at 9.15pm UK
 
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3-0

Messi (64', 90'), Coutinho (83')
FT(HT: 0-0)

Ernesto Valverde: "Genius" Lionel Messi still surprises me

Valverde:
© Reuters
Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde says that "there is still room for Lionel Messi to surprise us" following the superstar forward's latest goalscoring double.

Ernesto Valverde has described Lionel Messi as a "genius" and admits that he is still blown away by the Barcelona forward's brilliance.

Messi struck twice for the Catalan giants as they saw off Alaves 3-0 at Camp Nou in their opening La Liga game of the season on Saturday evening.

The Argentina international's latest double, including a smart free kick under the opposition wall, brought up a milestone 6,000th top-flight goal for Barca - 385 of which he is responsible for.

Speaking after the opening-day victory against a stubborn Alaves, Valverde told reporters: "Messi is a genius. We're lucky to be able to see him every day. We're lucky to be involved in football during the era in which he is playing - we want him to pull a rabbit from the hat every day.

"There's still room for Messi to surprise us. He always surprises you - he never ceases to amaze me, honestly. You have to be ready to expect anything from Messi because he sees what no one else sees."

Messi has been named Barcelona captain for the 2018-19 season following Andres Iniesta's move to Japan.

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Barcelona forward Lionel Messi in action during the La Liga clash with Real Madrid on May 6, 2018
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Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Barcelona12110140112933
2Real Madrid1173121111024
3Atletico MadridAtletico126511871123
4Villarreal116322019121
5Osasuna126331716121
6Athletic Bilbao125431812619
7Real BetisBetis125431210219
8Mallorca12534109118
9Rayo Vallecano114431210216
10Celta Vigo125161820-216
11Real Sociedad124351010015
12GironaGirona124351517-215
13Sevilla124351217-515
14AlavesAlaves124171419-513
15Leganes122551216-411
16Getafe12174810-210
17Espanyol123181122-1110
18Las PalmasLas Palmas122371321-89
19Real ValladolidValladolid12228924-158
20Valencia11146817-97


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