The quality of that match from Barcelona’s point of view can be measured by the fact that in the immediate aftermath, no one really cared how much Lionel Messi was earning, or has reportedly earned.
Most would say he’s worth every penny but that’s a discussion for another day. His perfect free-kick was enough to stick it to those that had had a field day on Sunday once the El Mundo headlines had broke. Six hundred and fifty and counting.
No, this was Barca back to somewhere approaching their best for the most part, and against an overly physical Athletic Club to boot, let’s not forget.