Xavi has won his first trophy as Barcelona manager after his team defeated Real Madrid 3-1 in Sunday's Spanish Super Cup final.
Barcelona completely outclassed the defending champions in Saudi Arabia. Gavi opened the scoring in the 34th minute before Robert Lewandowski found the net on the stroke of half-time to give Xavi's side a comfortable lead over their Clasico rivals.
Real tried to fight back after the break, but this was Barcelona's evening. Pedri scored a third goal to add to Real's misery, although Karim Benzema did score a late consolation for Carlo Ancelotti's side. Here are the main talking points from Sunday's final.
Giant trophy returns
Remember the giant World Cup trophy that was used in Qatar? Well, there was a giant Spanish Super Cup trophy at the King Fahd International Stadium on Sunday night - as fans inside the ground enjoyed a rather needless fireworks display before the game.
Sunday's final was held in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, for the second consecutive year. Only one of the last five finals have actually been held in Spain, as the country's footballing governing body aims to maximise revenue by taking the tournament overseas.
The Spanish Super Cup is also now a four-team event, with Real and Barcelona beating Valencia and Real Betis respectively in the semi-finals. In fact, it hasn't been a two-team game since Barcelona defeated Sevilla 2-1 in the 2018 edition - held in Morocco.
Lewandowski threatens early on
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Sunday's final started in typical Clasico fashion. There were a few juicy tackles - most notably Ronald Araujo's late lunge on Vinicius Junior - before Lewandowski almost made an early breakthrough. The Poland international's header went just over the bar.
Lewandowski got another chance moments later. This time he did much better and forced Thibaut Courtois into a superb low save, which deflected off the post and into the path of Alejandro Balde. The 19-year-old should have scored, but he blazed his effort wide.
Barcelona's wastefulness was almost punished by Karim Benzema, but the Real skipper couldn't get his 20th-minute header on target. The opening stages of the final was a reminder of the attacking quality both Xavi and Ancelotti have at their disposal.
Smells like teen spirit
The deadlock was broken on Sunday thanks to some brilliant play from Barcelona. Eduardo Camavinga was pressed out of possession by Sergio Busquets - a man nearly half his age - before the ball squirmed into the direction of Ousmane Dembele.
The Frenchman hit a first-time pass to Pedri, who did the same into the feet of Lewandowski. The forward then swept the ball to Gavi, who produced a sublime first touch before lashing an effort beyond Courtois. What a moment for the 18-year-old.
Barcelona needed just six touches of the ball to find the net after possession fell to Dembele, who was around 40 yards from goal. It was sensational one-touch football.
Judging by the Gavi's celebrations and Dani Carvajal's furious reaction to Real's sloppiness in possession, this game clearly meant a lot to both teams.
Lewandowski breaks duck
Frustratingly for Real, Carvajal's fury was not heard. Barcelona doubled their advantage just before the break after Frenkie de Jong's quick pass allowed Gavi to get in behind the defence. The teenager then squared the ball to Lewandowski for a tap in.
It was poor defending by Real and left them with a mountain to climb in the second half. That was Lewandowski's first ever Clasico goal - although he's only played once in the fixture before - and he now has 20 goals for the season. He's not been a bad signing...
Barcelona see off rivals
Ancelotti would've been hoping for a response from his players after the break, but he didn't get it. A third Barcelona goal always looked the more likely, as Courtois was needed to deny Dembele and Lewandowski inside the first 10 minutes of the second half.
Yet there was nothing the Real goalkeeper could do about Barcelona's third goal. Xavi's side won possession in midfield again and the ball was quickly given to Lewandowski, the architect of Barcelona's triumph, to decide how to add to Real's torment.
Lewandowski found Gavi down the left flank before the teenager picked out Pedri in the middle. Barcelona's other emerging midfielder simply couldn't miss. Karim Benzema scored a last-minute consolation for Real, but there was no stopping Barcelona.
After 14 impressive months in charge, Xavi now has his first trophy as Barcelona boss. Considering the Catalan giants are also three points clear of Real at the top of the LaLiga table, it's fair to say the future is looking bright for them again. Who needs Lionel Messi?
