Ernesto Valverde has admitted that Athletic Bilbao were no match for Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday.
The Catalans outplayed Los Leones for most part at Camp Nou as they ran out 3-1 winners to lift the cup for the 27th time, and the Coach felt there was no shame in losing to the better team.
“We struggled [against Barca]. It was very difficult for us to appease our fans,” he said after the game.
“We knew the difficulty of the match, but we thought it was possible. We couldn’t give our fans what they craved so much.
“The miracle is not winning the cup. The miracle is that Athletic, who lose players every year, continue to get this far.
“Barca are a great team with outstanding players and in great form. They’re hungry to win everything.
“I think they’re the favourites against Juventus, as they were against us. It’s always been said that anything can happen in football, but Barca always win.
“As for Messi, I was asked [on Friday] if he was unstoppable. If he’s not then he’s almost unstoppable. He dictates how Barca play.
“He usually makes the difference in these games and did so brilliantly [on Saturday]. His first goal was incredible.
“[On the Neymar showboating controversy], he seems to be a nice guy but less so when he does these things, especially to us.
“In addition, they are things that are not even well-received by his own fans.
“I don’t want to give any more importance [to this incident]. I’d rather talk about Messi than Neymar.”
