Barcelona fans come up with Lionel Messi chant during Supercopa clash in Saudi Arabia; video goes viral
Barcelona fans were heard making club legend Lionel Messi's chants during their 2-0 Spanish Super Cup semifinal win over Osasuna on Thursday (January 11).
In a hard-fought clash in Riyadh, Robert Lewandowski broke the deadlock in the 59th minute before Lamine Yamal's 93rd-minute strike confirmed Barca's place in a third straight Super Cup final. In the process, Yamal became the youngest Super Cup scorer.
During the game, Barca fans in attendance in the Saudi Arabian capital chanted the name of club legend Messi, who now plays for MLS side Inter Miami. A video clip showed the chants - as uploaded by Messi World - being made in the tenth minute of the game, when the game was goalless.
Here's the clip:
Messi is a bonafide Barcelona icon, spending 17 glorious seasons at the club. In 778 games across competitions, the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner registered record tallies of 672 goals and 303 assists.
He also won a slew of personal and collective honours, including six Ballon d'Or awards, 10 La Liga titles and three UEFA Champions League titles, including two continental trebles.
The 36-year-old left the Camp Nou in 2021 on a free transfer, joining Paris Saint-Germain. Last summer, he joined Inter Miami on another free transfer.
Meanwhile, Barca will take on their El-Clasico rivals Real Madrid on Sunday (January 14) in a repeat of the 2022 and 2023 title matches. While Xavi's side won 3-1 in 2023, Los Blancos had won 3-2 in extra time the previous year.
How has Barcelona legend Lionel Messi fared with his current side?
Barcelona icon Lionel Messi made a sparkling start to life at Inter Miami. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner bagged 10 goals and one assists - scoring in all seven games - in their victorious Leagues Cup campaign. It was the Herons' first trophy in their six-year history.
However, the Argentinian couldn't replicate the same exploits in the MLS, where he managed only a goal and two assists in six games. The Herons briefly flirted with postseason qualification before finishing 14th among 15 teams in their Conference.
Currently, Messi is in pre-season training with Miami, who are slated to visit four different countries, including Saudi Arabia, where they play the country's two biggest clubs, Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr.