Barcelona put aside its sadness following the departure of its legendary star and captain Lionel Messi, completing his journey with the Catalan team. The club achieved a morale-boosting 3-0 victory over visiting Juventus on Sunday, claiming the Johan Gamper Trophy.
Messi's time with Barcelona officially ended when the Spanish club announced last Thursday that it had failed to reach an agreement with the six-time Ballon d'Or winner due to "financial and structural obstacles."
Barcelona took an early lead with a goal from its new Dutch star Memphis Depay in the third minute of the match, which saw Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo play for Juventus before being substituted at the start of the second half. Danish player Martin Braithwaite extended Barcelona's lead with the second goal in the 57th minute, while Riqui Puig scored the third in the second minute of stoppage time.
Barcelona is preparing for its first match of the new season in La Liga, aiming to reclaim the trophy it lost in the past two seasons. The team begins its campaign against Real Sociedad at home next Sunday. Meanwhile, Juventus will face Udinese away on August 22 in its first match of the Italian league, hoping to regain the title it lost to Inter last season.
It is worth noting that the Johan Gamper Trophy is a friendly tournament organized by Barcelona at the beginning of each season.
