Barcelona put Athletic Bilbao to the sword to win the 2020/21 Copa del Rey on Saturday night.
Despite the Spanish showpiece remaining goalless until the hour-mark, the Blaugrana produced an attacking masterclass in the closing exchanges to pull off an astonishingly convincing victory.
Barcelona scored four times in 12 minutes with Messi at his best.Lionel Messi scored twice, including a stunning solo goal, as Barcelona blew away Athletic Bilbao to win the Copa del Rey on Saturday, consigning their opponents to a second final defeat in two weeks.French star Antonie Griezman broke the deadlock at the 63rd minute placing Barcelona on the lead.
The cup was won and lost in a whirlwind 12 minutes in Seville, which saw Barca score four times to clinch an emphatic 4-0 victory, with Messi at his top form. It is yet to be seen if his seventh Copa del Rey triumph is the last trophy Messi lifts in Barcelona colours but if this was to be a final flourish, the 33-year-old crafted a fitting farewell. "It's very special to be captain of this team where I have spent my whole life and very special to be able to lift this cup," Messi said.
His first goal, and Barca's third, started with the Argentinian in his own half before a charging run down the right and a surge forward into the penalty area gave him the chance for a simple finish.
Messi twice played off De Jong, the second time after motoring forward into the penalty area, where he darted between two last Athletic defenders and slid the finish into the far corner.
His second, and Barca's fourth, was more straight-forward with Alba pulling a cross back for the Argentinian to tuck under a weak right hand from Simon and inside the post. For Athletic, there was no way back.
Barca's tactician Ronald Koeman took over the spanish giants at rock bottom, humiliated by an historic loss to Bayern Munich and wounded by the attempts of Messi to leave the club for free.
But this 31st Copa del Rey success for the club is a testament to progress made and Koeman will hope it not only helps convince Messi to stay but gives Barca momentum now in a neck-and-neck title race in La Liga.
Barça are the most successful club in Copa del Rey history with 31 victories in the competition. In the last 13 seasons their dominance in the cup has been complete with seven titles in that time in 2009, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2016 and 2021.