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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

:Headline: Ernesto Valverde: 'Genius' Lionel Messi still surprises me: ID:333802: from db_amp
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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TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Barcelona14111242142834
2Atletico MadridAtletico148512181329
3Real Madrid1283125111427
4Villarreal137422521425
5Osasuna146441922-322
6GironaGirona146352018221
7Mallorca146351312121
8Athletic Bilbao135531913620
9Real BetisBetis145541616020
10Real Sociedad135351110118
11Celta Vigo145362224-218
12Rayo Vallecano124441313016
13Sevilla134361218-615
14Leganes133551316-314
15Getafe142751011-113
16AlavesAlaves144191524-913
17Las PalmasLas Palmas143381825-712
18Valencia122461219-710
19Espanyol133191226-1410
20Real ValladolidValladolid142391027-179
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