4 Assists in 5 Games Equal a Messi Record, as Banner at Camp Nou Declares “Anthony Gordon Is Catalan”

Anthony Gordon’s start at Barcelona has already seen him equal one of Lionel Messi’s records. After leaving the Premier League, the former Newcastle and Everton winger has settled in comfortably in Spain.

5 assists in 4 games, entering the La Liga record books

Since joining Barcelona, Gordon has provided five assists in four matches, matching the number of assists he recorded in 46 games for Newcastle last season. This rapid start has also placed him in the La Liga record books: over the past 50 years, only four players have registered five assists in the opening four rounds of a La Liga season. The other three are Real Madrid’s Juanito, Michel, and Messi in the 2011-12 season.

It should be noted that this does not mean Gordon will match Messi’s record of 91 goals in a single season, but it does show that he has adapted to Spanish football very quickly.

Local fans have already embraced him

Mundo Deportivo described him as “the new idol of Camp Nou,” and some fans even hung a banner outside Camp Nou that read “Anthony Gordon is Catalan.” He has also received the nickname Antonio Gordo. In the 5-2 win over Rayo Vallecano, fans chanted his name and began calling him “Big Anthony” — “Gordo” means “big” in Spanish.

His latest assist came in Barcelona’s 5-0 win over Valencia, a match that sent the club to the top of the La Liga table. The first goal came from his delicate chip pass to Lamine Yamal, who chipped the goalkeeper and scored; the second came after Gordon collected a loose ball inside the penalty area and crossed to Fermin, who finished into the bottom-left corner.

“La Liga is better than the Premier League”

Gordon also won praise from fans and teammates with his comments. He suggested that La Liga is better than the Premier League: “I do not deny that the Premier League has extremely high intensity, an unforgiving pace, physical battles everywhere, long balls, corners and a lot of contact. That is why many English players believe it is the best league in the world.”

“In England, sometimes intensity can hide mistakes. Here, a poor first touch or a lack of concentration in positioning is punished immediately. The spaces are smaller, decisions have to be quicker, and everything has to be cleaner.”