It has been one of the worst months in recent memory for Barcelona as the reigning La Liga and Champions League title holders lost once again in La Liga, capping an eight-day stretch of losing where they lost twice in La Liga and were eliminated from the Champions League. But it’s has been more than bad, it has been almost historically bad for the Camp Nou outfit and for star striker Lionel Messi.
On Sunday, Barcelona fell 2-1 to Valencia, making it their third straight loss in La Liga after falling to Real Madrid and Real Sociedad in the two weeks prior – and the first of its kind since Messi joined the team in 2004 and changed the club’s fate for a decade.
The three-game La Liga losing streak was the first for the club since the 2002-03 season – a full two seasons before Messi’s Barcelona debut and a year before even his senior debut with Barcelona C. Between February 2003 and March 2016, Barcelona had not lost three in a row in any La Liga season.
Messi scored the lone goal for Barcelona in the loss – his 500th professional goal for club and country.
Barcelona were eliminated from the Champions League this past week after losing to Atletico Madrid 3-2 on aggregate. However, despite owning a tie with Atletico Madrid on the La Liga table, Barcelona are still in the pole position for the La Liga title, owning a +59 goal differential versus Atletico’s +41.
The last 30 days have been truly awful for Barcelona as team legend Johan Cruyff passed away on March 24, followed by a bitter loss to Real Madrid in El Clasico.
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