Luis Suárez quickly made an impact at Atlético Madrid. Former teammate Lionel Messi was his usual impressive self for Barcelona.
Suárez, who had his debut Sunday with Atlético after being told he was not wanted by Barcelona, scored twice and had an assist in the nearly 20 minutes he played in Atlético’s 6-1 rout of Granada in the Spanish league.
Messi, who was forced to stay at Barcelona after telling the club he wanted to leave, scored once and helped his team beat Villarreal 4-0 in its league opener under new coach Ronald Koeman. It was Messi's first official game with Barcelona since the club denied his request to leave in the offseason. He was outspoken against the club but had promised to give his best in what could be his final season at Barcelona.
Messi celebrated as usual after scoring from the penalty spot in the 35th minute at the Camp Nou Stadium. He later also played a role in the own-goal by Pau Torres before halftime, as the Villarreal defender tried to intercept a cross by the Argentina great.
Messi missed a few other chances to score in the comfortable opening win for Koeman. The 17-year-old Ansu Fati, one of the players helping to make up for Suárez’s absence in attack, put Barcelona on its way to victory with goals in the 15th and 19th minutes.