Lionel Messi inspired Barcelona to their 31st Copa Del Rey trophy.
Messi collected his first Copa del Rey trophy as Barcelona captain on Saturday after his fantastic performance against Athletic Bilbao.
The Barcelona genius struck twice, after goals from Antoine Griezmann and Frenkie de Jong, as the Catalans routed Athletic Club 4-0 to claim a record 31st Copa del Rey, and their first since seeing their bid for five in a row ended by Valencia in 2019.
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Messi was involved in everything that came off for Barcelona. He participated in the build-ups to the opening two goals before grabbing two for himself. Scoring those goals and lifting the trophy later, he couldn’t stop smiling.
The Argentine whose contract expires in June has been heavily linked with move away from the Camp Nou and If the 33-year-old needed any reason to stay beyond this summer, surely he has it now.
The Argentine, who took the armband from Andres Iniesta in 2018, was clearly thrilled to lead his club to glory in Seville. 
“It’s very special to be the captain of this club,” Messi told Barca TV.
“It’s a very special Copa for me because I’m able to lift it [myself].
“Not being able to celebrate it with our fans is a pity.
“The situation is what we have to live with. It’s a shame.
“The Copas are always special and the fans enjoy them a lot.
“These are two clubs that are used to these finals and [used to] enjoying them a lot.”
A wasteful first half gave way to free-flowing football from Barcelona in the second, with their skipper netting twice.
“We knew that Athletic play like this,” Messi added, “with a very rigid 4-4-2.
“We were patient on the ball and created our own space.
“We moved about a lot in the first half and I think they dropped off in the second.”
After a tough start to the campaign, Barcelona now find themselves in contention to win a double, with LaLiga Santander still to come.
“We found it difficult to get started in the first half of the season,” Messi admitted.
“We dropped points out of innocence.
“We’ve been getting stronger, very good, and we’re in the title race.
“The other day, unfortunately, we weren’t able to get a good result in the Clasico.”
Messi also set new Copa Del Rey record, he is now the all-time record goalscorer in Copa finals, with 10, as he lifted the trophy for a seventh time.
