Barcelona did not achieve more than a 1: 1 draw with Athletic Bilbao in the second round match in La Liga, thus making the first mistake of the season.

After the match, Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman admitted that Messi would be very much needed by the club in such matches.

“I do not always like to talk about it, but we are talking about the best player in the world,” Koeman initially told Marca newspaper.

“The opponent is more afraid when Messi is there. If you give Leo a pass, he usually does not lose the ball. You can tell he is not here. We know this, but it cannot be changed.”

Memphis Depay scored the equalizer for Barcelona by “bombarding” the opposing goal with a powerful shot.