Barcelona are licking their wounds after the earth-shattering news that Lionel Messi would be leaving the club.Losing arguably the greatest player in history just a few days before the start of the season is just about the biggest blow that Ronald Koeman could possibly have anticipated facing.However, with Barcelona's finances preventing them from re-signing Messi at the last moment, the Blaugrana have been forced to grit their teeth and continue their preparations for 2021/22.

Barcelona 3-0 Juventus

And that quest started in earnest on Sunday evening when the Catalan giants secured a superb 3-0 win over Juventus to claim the Joan Gamper Trophy at Estadi Johan Cruyff.

While, yes, the game might only have been a pre-season friendly, lest we forget that Juventus lined up with world-class players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Matthijs de Ligt in their starting XI. 

And Barcelona made it look easy at times with Martin Braithwaite heading home and Riqui Puig crowning a sensational team move to lift the La Liga giants clear in the second-half.

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However, the goal that got Barcelona's party started came from a familiar source as Memphis Depay continued his remarkable start to life at Camp Nou with yet another pre-season strike.

Depay's highlights vs Juventus

Depay's move from Lyon marked his second shot at performing for a European giant having previously lasted just 18 months and 53 appearances as Manchester United's number seven.

But it feels as though Depay is hell-bent on grabbing such a major opportunity with both hands this time around because his first outings for Barcelona have been nothing short of scintillating.

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ENTER GIVEAWAY

His performance against Juventus was no different either with the Dutchman proving a thorn in the side of Barcelona's Italian opponents, chipping in with a goal and assist across the full 90 minutes.

However, Depay's brilliance was apparent in more than just his goal contributions and that couldn't be clearer than in his sumptuous individual highlights, which you can enjoy in all their glory below:

It looks as though Depay has been playing with Barcelona for years, doesn't it?

Ready to become Barca's star man

Now, obviously, we can only get too excited about performances in pre-season friendlies, but the early signs point towards Depay becoming Barcelona's new star man in the absence of Messi.

Don't think for one second that we're claiming that Depay is even 10% the player that Messi is because we're not, but the Dutchman feels like the closest that Barca have to a replacement.

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With Antoine Griezmann flattering to deceive at Camp Nou, Depay seems like the player most likely to grab the bull by the horns and really establish himself as a talismanic forward for Koeman.

The proof will be in the pudding when Depay transitions from pre-season friendlies to the games that matter most, but if he can fill Messi's boots by even 5%, then he'll be Barcelona's new star man.