Barcelona and Espanyol were a quarter of the way into their first game for more than 50 days, La Liga back at last, when the referee, Antonio Mateu Lahoz, was suddenly set off. Urgently heading across the pitch wearing a determined look, triggered by what he heard or perhaps remembering something really important he had to do, he sprinted straight at Xavi Hernández, who was all in black and shouting. This was only ending one way. Pulling up pitchside, he grabbed Barça’s coach. And then he kissed him, whispering in his ear. “He said he was happy to see me,” Xavi revealed later. “And I said: ‘Me too.’”
The Barcelona coach was speaking for everyone. Well, sort of. Turns out that the World Cup star who most marked the return of domestic football was the one who doesn’t actually play but doesn’t half perform, the Spaniard who was in Qatar longer than any other. Antonio Mateu Lahoz – Toño to his mates, which he likes to think is everyone – did it again. A record-breaker for clubs and countries, the man whose name has become a verb was mateulahozing once more this weekend. The celebrity referee who handed out 17 cards during the Argentina-Netherlands quarter-final came home and immediately went one better, and without the benefit of extra time or penalties. Two matches, 35 cards, two all-time highs, and some show to restart football in Spain.
