Beijing: 

Lionel Messi

Gold medal for Messi was the top headline of the day on www.fcbarcelona.com but the Spanish club won't be too happy about the fact that their star player has already had to go through the grind before the start of Spanish season. This, despite the club having won a legal battle with FIFA against releasing the player for the Olympics in the first place.

Argentina beat Nigeria 1-0 to claim gold.

Messi though remains unconcerned and continued to rub salt in his employers' wounds by hailing his Olympic experience, thereby sending an indirect message to the Catalan club.    

"The entire Olympic experience has been just as I expected it. In fact, way beyond at times. It's a once- in-a-lifetime experience and some of the memories here I will cherish for the rest of my life," said the 21-year-old.

"Just being in the Athletes' Village, walking around and meeting so many big sporting icons of the world was fantastic. People had told me before I came here that the Olympics is a great place to be and so I was keen to play here. And having done so, I feel a great satisfaction inside me. The gold medal is the best thing that could have happened to me and Argentina," he added.