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#2 Proactive attacking from Barcelona saw them score 5 goals
While the Mallorca defenders are mostly to blame for the surprising number of goals scored at their end, the Barca midfield and attack were proactive, possessive, mentally linked to each other, and in total command of the proceedings.
They rarely put a foot wrong throughout the entire game, and finishing the game with 91% pass accuracy further cements just how connected they are to each other. The fullbacks were on hand to aid the attack, and they brought speed, zeal, and accuracy with them. Barca had players on every blade of grass, and they used it to their advantage and put five goals in.
The Barca defence may have let in two goals - with ter Stegen to blame for the second - but they kept their heads up throughout and ensured that Mallorca remained shut out from the final third for long periods of the game.
#1 Lionel Messi
He presented the Ballon d'Or to the fans at the Camp Nou, and then, over the course of the next two hours, wowed the entire world with his mesmerizingly beautiful goalscoring techniques.
Picking up a hattrick today, Lionel Messi deserves to be one of the important reasons why Barca won the game. He foresaw potential opportunites, freed himself from his marker, demanded the ball, and changed the scoreline. Consistently. While other players had divine moments during the game, Messi was sublime throughout.
At 32, it doesn't look like the dimunitive magician is ready to retire any time soon. If Barca wins the league this season, much of the credit will certainly go to Messi. He is arguably one of the best players to have graced a football pitch, and his performance was a perfect reminder of why he won the Ballon d'Or.
