Here is the League. Finally and for charity the preseason has ended, this confusing weaving of signings, transfers, assignments and barters. That noisy earthquake that will have its aftershocks until September 2. That carousel of rare tournaments with games in remote places and impossible schedules. That hodgepodge of stars and meritories in which they end up playing 40 uncles per encounter ...

Compared to all that, whether or not to play on Fridays and Mondays, Rubiales and Thebes , testimony against testimony, football version of Sánchez and Iglesias , is a haven of peace that calms the nerves, calms anxiety and calls to balance Disoriented and impatient, the fan is ready to know what to expect, because the trials and speculations are over; and everything that is already happening has the seriousness of the official and the transcendence of the decision.

Like every season, the main initial attraction of the competition lies in the developments in the schools. Absolute those from abroad. Relative, internal transfer. No absolute novelty ( De Jong ) or relative ( Griezmann ) of Barça that stepped on San Mamés contributed to diminish the dependence that the team has on Messi. Barcelona can also lose with Leo. But the chances of that happening are infinitely less than those that exist in the opposite situation.

Only Messi - or Messi more than anyone else - faces the hypnotic appeal of the annual news triumphant and unaffected. Including those of your team. After 16 seasons of Barca, and at 32, Barça's greatest novelty is still him, now again as captain and announcer.

Reinventing itself, renewing itself while still being the usual one, no other can generate course after course so much expectation. So much illusion. So much, in short, novelty, which in his person consists in the continuation of surprises and the repetition of excellence. He may no longer reach the figures for the 2011-12 campaign, with 73 goals (one every 51 minutes) and 29 assists. But in the past he scored 51 (one for every 55 minutes played) and gave 22 assists. The sixth best statistic of his life.

As a nuclear and zenith element of Barça, everything in it is a novelty of any sign. It was negative news that he did not play in Bilbao. It will be positive news when he reappears and when, after his first goal, he repeats himself: "No news."

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  • First division
  • Leo Messi

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