Lionel Messi should claim a record seventh La Liga golden boot after scoring twice in a 5-0 win over Alaves on Sunday as Barcelona ended their disappointing season on a more positive note.
Messi's double takes his league tally to 25 goals for the season and puts him four clear of Karim Benzema in the race for the 'Pichichi Trophy' ahead of Real Madrid's last game later on Sunday against Leganes.
Ansu Fati, Luis Suarez and Nelson Semedo also chipped in for an emphatic victory against an Alaves side who looked off the pace after guaranteeing survival earlier in the week.
Barca had their fate confirmed on Thursday too, when defeat to Osasuna handed Real Madrid the title and brought scrutiny on all areas of the club, including the future of Quique Setien as coach.
Messi delivered a stinging assessment after the game but Setien said on Saturday he still believes Barcelona, at their best, can win the Champions League next month.
"Today was very different," said Messi. "We have taken an important step in terms of attitude and commitment and things can follow on from that. We have shown we can change."
Unless Benzema runs riot against Leganes, Messi will finish as La Liga's top scorer for a seventh time, pulling clear of Telmo Zarra's six while playing for Athletic Bilbao in the forties and fifties.
This sparkling attacking display certainly gave a glimpse of what is possible when Messi, Suarez, Fati and the promising Riqui Puig find their rhythm but Napoli in the last 16, and potentially Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals, will offer a completely different test.
There could be fitness concerns for Setien too. Clement Lenglet hobbled off with what looked like a groin problem, with Antoine Griezmann and Samuel Umtiti already out injured.
Suspensions for Gerard Pique, Junior Firpo and Ivan Rakitic meant Setien was able to name only three outfield players on his bench.
But Setien has increasingly been putting his faith in youth and the 20-year-old Puig impressed again in midfield while 21-year-old Ronald Araujo gave a composed, albeit largely unchallenged, performance in defence.
Barcelona were three goals up before half-time and could have had more.
They hit the woodwork three times in the first 15 minutes as Puig and Arturo Vidal both rattled the crossbar before Messi's curling shot hit the post.
Fati finally opened the scoring when Messi's deflected cross looped up to the near post, where the 17-year-old was quickest to react.
Suarez spurned a one-on-one after a brilliant Puig pass and Puig was also involved in the second, weaving inside and teeing up Messi to stride through and finish.
Vidal went close with a flicked header from Messi's cross before Suarez capped a superb move by heading in his 17th league goal after Jordi Alba had volleyed Messi's pass across.
Another Puig through ball just before the hour allowed Semedo to lash in a fourth, only for Messi to have the last word with a smart finish on the half-volley.
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
Coming soon
Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura
When the W Dubai – The Palm hotel opens at the end of this year, one of the highlights will be Massimo Bottura’s new restaurant, Torno Subito, which promises “to take guests on a journey back to 1960s Italy”. It is the three Michelinstarred chef’s first venture in Dubai and should be every bit as ambitious as you would expect from the man whose restaurant in Italy, Osteria Francescana, was crowned number one in this year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Akira Back Dubai
Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as, “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems.
Tickets
Tickets start at Dh100 for adults, while children can enter free on the opening day. For more information, visit www.mubadalawtc.com.
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Normcore explained
Something of a fashion anomaly, normcore is essentially a celebration of the unremarkable. The term was first popularised by an article in New York magazine in 2014 and has been dubbed “ugly”, “bland’ and "anti-style" by fashion writers. It’s hallmarks are comfort, a lack of pretentiousness and neutrality – it is a trend for those who would rather not stand out from the crowd. For the most part, the style is unisex, favouring loose silhouettes, thrift-shop threads, baseball caps and boyish trainers. It is important to note that normcore is not synonymous with cheapness or low quality; there are high-fashion brands, including Parisian label Vetements, that specialise in this style. Embraced by fashion-forward street-style stars around the globe, it’s uptake in the UAE has been relatively slow.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
As You Were
Liam Gallagher
(Warner Bros)
The biog
Favourite book: Animal Farm by George Orwell
Favourite music: Classical
Hobbies: Reading and writing
Episode list:
Ep1: A recovery like no other- the unevenness of the economic recovery
Ep2: PCR and jobs - the future of work - new trends and challenges
Ep3: The recovery and global trade disruptions - globalisation post-pandemic
Ep4: Inflation- services and goods - debt risks
Ep5: Travel and tourism
