Barcelona being eliminated in the Champions League Quarter Finals was heartbreaking, however it did not really hit until the last day of the season when I realized  uh oh there’s only one more match to watch Barcelona play in. The end of the season always brings that feeling of despair…that “what the hell am I supposed to do with my Saturday and Sunday mornings now?”feeling. I mean is it really a thing that people actually sleep in on weekends instead of waking up at the crack of dawn to watch soccer matches then take a nap later in the afternoon either from the excitement of your team winning/one too many celebratory shots, or from the alcohol induced coma you put yourself in due to your team’s lackluster form?

SoI let myself get excited about the Copa Del Rey Final, especially since Sevilla is a formidable opponent. The first 30 minutes I couldn’t help but keep screaming at Neymar. Lately it seems as though it takes him quite a bit of time to warm up into the game and actually make a difference, which held more than true today, making me glad I decided to wear my Messi jersey instead of one of my more than it’s ok to admit Neymar jerseys I own. When Mascherano was sent off I decided to stop being aggravated at Neymar and decided to direct my aggression toward the referee who looked like what Hollywood would cast a European soccer referee to look like. I get feeling the need to give Mascherano a card for that, but come on a STRAIGHT RED? Give me a break ref. I’ve seen Atletico Madrid players do far worse and get by with maybe a yellow card. Anyway my anxiety levels started rising. Barcelona wasn’t even playing that well to begin with and now they were down to 10 men. This did not seem like it would fare well.

And then Luis Enrique decides to take one of my favorite players, Rakitic off. Um WHAT? Take Rakitic off when he tends to be the player that scores goals when everyone is LEAST expecting it and the team really needs it in place of Mathieu???! Ok Coach…sure whatever you say. That bottle of wine sitting on the countertop was looking more and more appealing to start drowning my sorrows in. By the way, if you’re a wino like moi, do yourself a favor and order a case of wine from Deerfield Ranch Winery in Sonoma. You won’t regret it. But I digress.

The second worst thing that could happen (this season) to Barcelona happened. Suarez went down. That bottle of wine was just calling to be opened. Look, hate Suarez all you want, call him all the names you want because he probably is a vampire, but don’t deny the fact that the man works his hardest to score goals and help the team in any way he can. He may not have the speed of Neymar or Messi, or the ball control of Iniesta or Messi, but he knows where to be at the right time to score. He also appears to have lost a bit of his vampire-like ways since he hopped on over to the sunnier parts of Europe. I had the dreadful feeling that this was just not going to end well. There wouldn’t be enough wine in the world to make this looming disaster ok.

I tried to not question Luis Enrique this time around with his decision to bring in Rafinha. And somehow, just somehow, Barcelona turned it around and started playing like they cared again. Neymar finally stopped acting as though he was messing around in training camp. And Messi became my favorite version of Messi. Pissed off Messi. Pissed off Messi is the best because he starts getting more physical and aggressive. He becomes even more focused and you know he’s either going to set up one hell of a goal or score one hell of a goal. By the 75th minute I came to terms that this would also go into extra time like yesterday’s DFB Pokal final,  but I was praying that it wouldn’t head to a penalty shootout since Messi and Neymar haven’t had the best penalty taking records.

Ok so here’s the thing. When Messi plays more of the midfielder role, when he becomes more of the playmaker, it makes me nervous. I know I should always just trust in Messi, but I prefer him up front and center scoring goals. I love the passes and the creativity and the assists, but when he plays too deep in the middle of the field I tend to get nervous, especially with the way Neymar has been playing in the last two months or so and with no Suarez. But I know I should never question Messi, because the man is a genius.

Here I was screaming at Messi, literally screaming “WHAT ARE YOU DOING SHOOT THE BALL?” And suddenly he passed a beautiful magical pass to Jordi Alba who struck the back of the net. All my fears and anxiety were thrown out the window and I remembered to never question Lionel Messi, but to always trust in him. Trusting in Messi led to that beautiful second goal from Neymar that truly sealed the deal.

It may have taken extra time, but Messi was in his fine form and ensured that Barcelona won the domestic double for the second year in a row. That second assist, that pass to Neymar, solidified the notion that clearly Lionel Messi is not from this planet, as he is an awe-inspiring magician of extraterrestrial proportions. After this cup final, I reminded myself to Always Trust in Lionel Messi.

*Side Note: What was with the referee getting a massage in the middle of the match? Was he trying to show off his muscly legs for the casting directors to call him up when they make the “Leicester City-Cinderella Story” movie? Was he trying to waste time? What was he doing and WHY?!