MADRID – The post-Lionel Messi era began for Barcelona with fans chanting his name in the stands and players overcoming his absence on the field.
Barcelona´s first season without Messi in 17 years started with a 4-2 win over Real Sociedad in the Spanish league, with many in the crowd of more than 20,000 at the Camp Nou Stadium paying tribute to the Argentine star and protesting against the club for letting him go.
The majority of fans loudly chanted Messi´s name in the 10th minute, a reference to the No. 10 jersey he used to wear at the club. Many fans were wearing or carrying Messi´s jersey, and several banners honored the playmaker.
“Forever grateful to Messi,” read one of them.
There were also some jeers against Messi, though, who was already in France with Paris Saint-Germain after Barcelona failed to give him a new contract because of its financial struggles. Some fans preferred to chant “Barça, Barça” instead of his name.
“We all know what Messi represented. He was the most important player in this club’s history,” Barcelona’s Gerard Pique said according to AP. “But there’s an end to everything and we have to move on. There is a lot of quality in this team. We will be very competitive and I’m convinced that we will be contending for all the titles until the end.”
Elsewhere, Angel Correa scored a goal in each half as Atletico Madrid opened its title defense with a 2-1 win at Celta Vigo, extending its unbeaten streak in Spanish league openers to 12 matches.
Correa, starting in attack in place of Luis Suarez, opened the scoring with a low shot from outside the area in the 23rd. He added his second from inside the box in the 64th after Iago Aspas had equalized for the hosts by converting a 59th-minute penalty kick following a hand ball by Marcos Llorente.
Aspas had the best chance to equalize in the 80th after going around Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak inside the area, but his shot into the open net went just wide.
The benches were emptied in stoppage time after an altercation following a foul by Hugo Mallo on Suarez. Mallo and Atletico’s Mario Hermoso got red cards.
The home loss kept Celta winless in its last six league openers, since beating Levante 2-1 in Valencia in 2015.
Atletico’s last loss in its first league game of the season came in 2009 – losing 3-0 at Málaga – before the arrival of coach Diego Simeone.
“We can’t look at what happened last season,” Oblak said. “We have to focus only on the next match. It’s the only thing that matters.”
Suárez, the former Barcelona striker who was key for Atlético in its title run last season, came into the match as a second-half substitute for Correa with the Uruguay striker still trying to regain his best form.
The match played in front of about 7,000 fans at the Balaídos Stadium marked the official debut with Atletico for Argentina midfielder Rodrigo de Paul, the only significant addition to a squad that didn’t lose any of its main players after a successful season in 2020-21.
