Messi Still The Best With 500th Goal
Argentinean striker answers his critics in style
It wasn’t just Messi’s goals which made this a special performance, because he was more or less unstoppable all night.
Barcelona blew La Liga’s title race wide open with a sensational 3-2 victory in El Clasico at Real Madrid yesterday morning, and the identity of the match-winner was no surprise whatsoever: Lionel Messi.
The Argentine ace netted twice, including the winner with just 12 seconds of stoppage time remaining, to allow his team to leapfrog the hosts at the top of the table even though the title is still under Real’s control because they have a game in hand.
Not only that, but he is now up to 500 goals for Barcelona. Not bad for a player who is supposedly on the decline.
It wasn’t just Messi’s goals which made this a special performance, because he was more or less unstoppable all night.
RED CARD
In fact, the only way that Real could stop him was by fouling him, with Sergio Ramos earning a straight red card for a wild twofooted lunge while Casemiro was a little lucky to escape dismissal for repeated fouls and Mateo Kovacic also earned a yellow card for fouling the Argentine.
Despite forcing his opponents into such desperate measures, Messi still managed six shots on goal, four of which were on target - more than any other player.
He also embarked upon seven dribbles, again higher than anyone else, and his 72 touches of the ball were more than any Real player (Dani Carvajal had 71).
And all of that came despite Messi playing most of the game with a badly bloodied mouth following a first-half collision with Marcelo (accidental according to whiteshirted fans; deliberate according to those in red and blue) which saw him briefly leave the field for treatment.
Naturally, the Barcelona media reacted ecstatically to their idol’s latest match-winning heroics, with the headline in newspaper Sport’s online report simply stating: ‘Messi destroys Madrid’.
‘WORK OF ART’
Mundo Deportivo, meanwhile, hailed Messi as ‘unique’ and described his winning goal as a ‘work of art’, while also complaining - in a style typical of the constant backbiting between these two clubs that Casemiro and Marcelo should also have been sent off for their challenges on Messi.
Messi’s dramatic late strike at the Bernabeu was not only a special moment because it was a Clasico match- winner, it also marked his 500th senior goal in Barcelona coloursand helped reassert his status as the world’s best.
HONOURS
Messi’s goalscoring heroics have led to a long list of personal honours, including five Ballon d’Or awards for the best player in the world. And, more importantly, he has also helped Barca win trophies galore, with his current haul of 29 club honours including eight La Liga titles and four Champions League crowns. Other results: Real Sociedad 1-0 Deportivo La Corufia, Celta Vigo 0-1 Real Betis, Las Palmas 1-1 Alaves.