By Amosu Adeboye, LAGOS
Lionel Messi has been awarded UEFA Goal of the Season award for his superb 30-yard free-kick against Liverpool at Camp Nou last term.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner scored twice in a 3-0 first-leg victory over Jurgen Klopp’s side in the last four of the Champions League, taking centre stage after Luis Suarez netted an early opener.
The 32-year-old’s 12th goal in the competition last term was arguably his best of the entire 2018-19 campaign, as he beat Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson with a stunning curling effort from a dead ball.
Unfortunately, for Messi and Barca, they were unable to finish the job in the second leg at Anfield, as Liverpool sealed a remarkable turnaround by winning 4-0 in front of their own fans to reach the final.
The Reds went on to lift a sixth European Cup with a 2-0 victory over Tottenham in the Madrid showpiece, while the Blaugrana were widely criticised in Spain for another early exit in the competition.
Messi, has, however, been acknowledged by UEFA for his brilliant free-kick against Liverpool and he is also up for the ‘best forward’ award, which may come as some consolation for the Argentine.
Barca managed to retain their La Liga title last season, but more heartbreak in Europe was also followed up by a surprise Copa del Rey final defeat by Valencia.
The club has backed head coach Ernesto Valverde heavily in the summer transfer window to trigger significant progress over the next 12 months, with six new players already brought in.
Antione Greizmann completed a £107 million ($130m) switch to Camp Nou from Atletico Madrid, while Frenkie de Jong also joined Barca after signing a pre-contract agreement at the start of the year.
Neto, Junior Firpo and Emerson have also been snapped up, with the new La Liga season set to start next week.
Barca will open their new season campaign away at Athletic Bilbao, before hosting Real Betis nine days later.
