Barcelona's attempts to establish themselves once again as a force in La Liga and the Champions League this season have seen the heavily-indebted Catalans gamble with their future to enable a striking summer spending spree.
Goals from David Alaba and Karim Benzema gave Real Madrid a 2-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt and a fifth UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday.
The 34-year-old France international scored 44 goals for Real Madrid last season.
The 2022/23 La Liga season kicks off this weekend with Real Madrid the reigning champions but Barcelona determined to dethrone their bitter rivals after an eye catching summer spending spree.