Barca wins 1st trophy without Messi

Barcelona’s title drought with coach Xavi — and without Lionel Messi — is finally over. Barcelona beat Real Madrid 3-1 on Sunday to win th Spanish Super Cup at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and give its fans reasons to celebrate again after a revamping process that began following Messi’s departure for Paris Saint-Germain and the arrival of former player Xavi as coach in 2021. “We’ve been through some tough years, with financial difficulties, Messi’s departure,” Xavi, above, said. “It was not easy to bring back a positive dynamic. This will help give us some tranquility. We’ve been working hard.” Barcelona hadn’t lifted a trophy since the 2021 Copa del Rey under former coach Ronald Koeman. That was Messi’s 35th and final title with Barcelona before leaving amid the club’s financial struggles. Robert Lewandowski, Gavi and Pedri scored a goal each in the final at King Fahd Stadium to give Barcelona its first Super Cup trophy since 2018 — and its 14th overall — and the first since the tournament began being played in a Final Four format in 2020 in a lucrative deal for the Spanish soccer federation.