Barcelona on Sunday began their post-Lionel Messi era with a good 4-2 win over Real Sociedad in their La Liga 2021-22 opener at the Camp Nou and despite the favourable result, coach Ronald Koeman said that he'd still prefer the Argentine to be in his team. Much has been talked about Barcelona and how they'd fare without Messi in their ranks after the Argentine left the club for 17 seasons, but they have seemed to do pretty well in the two games they've played. They beat Juventus 3-0 in the Joan Gamper Trophy and then won their first match of this year's La Liga. Martin Braithwaite's Brace Leads Barcelona to 4-2 Win Over Real Sociedad in La Liga 2021-22

"Hey, if I had to choose, I would still prefer to have Leo Messi in my team," Koeman said, adding, "We no longer have a player who can decide the fate of matches on his own - now it will be a collective effort."

Crowds attended a live La Liga game at the Camp Nou for the first time since the pandemic, yesterday, and the Dutchman praised the supporters for backing the side, saying that it made a 'huge difference'.

"From the start, our supporters pushed us, they were behind the team. It makes a huge difference. If you compare a game like this with a game from last year, it's totally different. As I said before, the image of the team is the most important thing," Koeman said.

Messi was all set to sign a new contract at Barcelona after leading Argentina to the Copa America 2021 title last month and there were several reports, which stated that the club were close to finalising the deal and also announcing it. But a few days ago, Barcelona, in an official statement, revealed that the Argentine wouldn't be continuing at the club after talks over a new contract failed. A tearful press conference by Messi himself followed and the six-time Ballon D'or winner then proceeded to join Paris Saint-Germain last week in a blockbuster announcement made by the French club.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 16, 2021 03:58 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).