"Hope Messi is watching this" - Twitter erupts as Barcelona cruise to 4-0 win over Real Betis

Barcelona fans made a Lionel Messi claim as the Blaugrana earned a convincing 4-0 win against Real Betis in La Liga at the Camp Nou on Saturday (April 29).

Andreas Christensen, Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha got on the scoresheet for the Blaugrana, while Betis scored an own goal. Christensen opened the scoring for Xavi's side in the 14th minute. Betis were reduced to ten men when Edgar Gonzalez was sent off in the 33rd minute. The Blaugrana capitalised on their numerical advantage, courtesy Lewandowski in the 36th minute.

Raphinha scored the third three minutes later as the hosts took a commanding lead at the break. Guido Rodriguez scored an own goal in the 84th minute, summing up the visitors' dismal night.

With the win, the Blaugrana took a giant leap towards winning their first La Liga title in four years. Xavi's side have 79 points 32 games atop the standings, 11 clear of holders and arch-rivals Real Madrid.

One fan said:

"Xavi ball on peak. Hope Messi is watching this game."

Here're the top reactions on Twitter after Barcelona beat Betis in their home La Liga clash:

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Barcelona manager Xavi confirms talks about Lionel Messi return

Lionel Messi's potential return to Barcelona is a hot topic. The Argentine is in the final months of his contract with the Parisians but is yet to agree a new deal. There have been murmurs of the Argentine returning to the Camp Nou.

Xavi has now confirmed that the club have met with La Liga officials regarding a potential summer move for the Argentine. Ahead of the Betis clash, Xavi said (via GOAL):

"Yes (Barca met with La Liga), but not only for the possible arrival of Leo (Messi). We’ll see in order to improve the squad for next year, but it is not the important issue; there is still a league to win."

He added:

"Tomorrow, we have a key game, and this is the important issue. This is a matter of Mateu (Alemany), and he informs us, but, in theory, everything is going well.

"In the end, we don’t know if it’s going to happen or not. It’s very soon to talk about it. We are focused on the match against Betis and on winning La Liga, which would give us a lot of stability. We will talk about possible signings."

Messi had a stellar first stint at Barcelona before leaving in 2021. The Argentine maestro scored 672 goals and provided 303 assists in 778 games before his move to Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent.