A photo with the trophy… or Messi? Barcelona players queue up to get a snap with the Nou Camp hero after his heroic display in the 4-0 Copa del Rey final win over Athletic Bilbao
- Barcelona players queued up to get a picture with Lionel Messi and the trophy
- The Argentine scored two goals in 4-0 win to lead his side to Copa del Rey glory
- Frenkie de Jong and Miralem Pjanic among those wanting picture with captain
- Trophy was the first Barcelona have won since La Liga triumph back in 2019
Lionel Messi was forced to put in overtime by his teammates during Barcelona’s celebrations after their 4-0 win over Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey final.
The Argentine legend was at his imperious best to lead his side to the trophy, scoring twice as Barcelona scored four goals in just 12 minutes.
But Messi was made to work just as hard off the pitch, as his teammates showed how much they are in awe of their captain.
Barcelona’s players queued up to get a picture with Lionel Messi and the Copa del Rey trophy
Frenkie de Jong earned his photo after scoring and providing two assists in the 4-0 final win
The Barcelona players queued up and one-by-one walked up with a sheepish grin to join their captain for a picture with him and, seemingly less importantly, the trophy.
Frenkie de Jong and Miralem Pjanic were among those who waited their turn to get snapped with Messi, who saw the funny side and was laughing at the spectacle.
The Dutch midfielder certainly earned his picture with Messi, exchanging passes in the build-up to what was a stunning goal as the Argentine made it 3-0 after De Jong had already scored and provided an earlier assist.
Messi made it four from a Jordi Alba cross shortly after, as Barcelona cruised to their first trophy under Ronald Koeman and their first under any manager since winning La Liga in 2019.
Speaking after the match, once his teammates had released him from photo duties, the Barcelona captain was in high spirits after getting his hands on a seventh Copa de Rey trophy.
Barcelona scored four goals in a 12 minute period to blow Athletic Bilbao away in the final
Ronald Koeman celebrates with club president Joan Laporta after club’s first trophy since 2019
‘It’s very special to be the captain of this club,’ Messi told Barca TV. ‘It’s a very special Copa for me because I’m able to lift it [myself].
‘Not being able to celebrate it with our fans is a pity. The situation is what we have to live with. It’s a shame.
‘The Copas are always special and the fans enjoy them a lot. These are two clubs that are used to these finals and [used to] enjoying them a lot.’
There could yet be more pictures to be taken and another trophy to be won this season for Barcelona, with a tense La Liga title race in store.
Atletico Madrid lead the way on 67 points, one point ahead of Real Madrid, with Barcelona just one point further back and Sevilla on 61 points, going into the final eight games of the season.
The Barcelona captain lifts the trophy after winning the Copa del Rey for the seventh time
