Yokohama: Lionel Messi scored two goals as Barcelona overwhelmed Brazilian side Santos 4-0 to win their second Club World Cup title in three years on Sunday.
Messi, Xavi and Cesc Fabregas scored first-half goals as the European champion won their 13th trophy under coach Pep Guardiola and added to their stature as the best club team in the world.
"We played a complete game," Barcelona captain Carles Puyol said. "It was a good game, an intense game and we're very happy with the result."
The Champions League winners overwhelmed the South American champions in the first half and got on the score sheet in the 17th minute when Messi latched onto a through ball from Xavi, controlled it with his right foot, switched to his left and calmly chipped over Santos goalkeeper Rafael Cabral.
Xavi doubled the lead just seven minutes later when he took a pass from Dani Alves and beat Cabral with a right-foot shot from 16 metres (yards).
Fabregas put the game beyond reach in the final minute of the first half, picking up a rebound off a diving header by Thiago and beating Cabral from close range.
Santos looked more lively after the break. Neymar had a good chance in the 57th as he broke free and found himself in the open with only Victor Valdes to beat but was denied by a nice save by the Barcelona goalkeeper.
Messi, who was named the tournament's most valuable player, completed the scoring in the 82nd when he maneuvered around Cabral and calmly slotted home.
"Barcelona deserved to win," Neymar said. "They are the best team in the world and we learned an important lesson tonight. We showed our potential and hopefully we will be able to come back and win this tournament."
Barcelona won the Club World Cup in 2009, with Messi scoring the winning goal in the 2-1 victory over Argentine Club Estudiantes.
The last time a team from South America won was 2006 when Internacional beat Barcelona.
Barcelona was playing without striker David Villa, who broke his left shin bone in his team's 4-0 win over Qatari side Al-Sadd in the semi-finals on Thursday.
Borges gave Santos their first scoring chance in the 27th minute, when he took a pass from Ganso and fired a shot that Valdes smothered. Gerard Pique was given a yellow card in the 38th after knocking Neymar to the ground.
Al-Sadd of Qatar beat Kashiwa Reysol of Japan 5-3 in a penalty shootout to take the third place.####
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