Barcelona were prepared to pay £75m to bring Lionel Messi back to his best. And they are 90 minutes away from winning the Champions League as a result.
That was the money spent in signing Luis Suarez from Liverpool last summer, and the Uruguayan’s arrival has given Messi the chance to wreak havoc on Europe’s best.
Those two, along with Neymar, form the most-potent attacking trio in world football, with 117 goals between them before last night’s Spanish Cup Final.
Terry Gibson, the former Manchester United and Wimbledon striker now a La Liga analyst for Sky, has loved watching them in action and he recognises Suarez’s contribution to Messi’s brilliance.
“Suarez has had a funny season because he wasn’t fit when he came into the team and then he was played out wide,” he explains. “But what a difference it made when he was moved to centre-forward. He’s now sharp, fit and has a great relationship with Neymar and Messi.
“Because Suarez is more willing to play with his back to goal and make those runs in behind, it has helped Messi.
“Messi has been given that bit of freedom to play where he likes, although he usually starts on the right, as he did when he first burst on the scene. That means he can drift in and shoot or make a killer pass.
“He’s enjoying his football again because he is not stood right up front. Suarez is the focal point. And he’s also resumed his brilliant partnership down the right with Dani Alves, who has had a fantastic season, too.”
Barcelona have already wrapped up La Liga and Gibson can’t look beyond them against Juventus in Saturday’s Champions League Final.
“Juve are great opponents for Barcelona,” he says. “They are not overly-blessed with pace. They move the ball quite slowly and they won’t be allowed to slowly work their way up the pitch.
“This is a great tie for Barcelona and I can’t see anything other than a convincing victory.”
The game in Berlin will mark the last time that football fans will see Xavi in a Barcelona shirt before he heads to Qatar. And Gibson will miss one of the undoubted stars of the current generation.
“It’s a sad day to see Xavi leave
Barcelona,” he adds. “It really hits home that one day Messi will have to go as well.”
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