100% Shot Accuracy and 2 Goals: Champions League Player of the Week – Lionel Messi

The midweek Champions League action saw Lionel Messi break his barren run in front of goal with two strikes to send Barcelona through to the knock-out stages of the competition, earning him the honour of being named Squawka’s Champions League Player of the Week.

Messi had to fend off competition from Barcelona team-mate Sergio Busquets as well as Atletico Madrid’s Miranda and Bayer Leverkusen’s Emir Spahic to win the prize.

Week 4 Champions League Top Performers

The Argentine’s two goals – one from the penalty spot – helped him earn a Squawka Performance Score of 94, one point ahead of nearest challenger Miranda.

The Barcelona star gave his team the lead from the penalty spot in the first-half after Neymar was fouled (according to the ref) by Ignazio Abate, firing straight down the middle of the goal.

Busquets extended their lead and despite an own goal from Gerard Pique, Messi secured passage into the last 16 with a superb one-two with Cesc Fabregas and blasting a finish into the roof of the net.

Lionel Messi’s Second Goal v Milan

Two strikes put the pre-match hype surrounding Messi’s failure to score in his last four games, the longest run since 2011 and one that surely preyed on the Argentine’s mind.

But Messi swept all the doubts away with a very accomplished all-round performance, with a 90% pass completion rate and scored with both of his strikes.

Lionel Messi Passes v Milan (90% Pass Completion)

The La Masia youth product may have been rusty with just five of his 11 take-ons succeeding, but two goals on the night were enough to earn him the Player of the Week award.

The Performance Score graph (above) tracks his score over the course of 90 minutes, with notable increases for each of his two goals on the night.

Messi’s second goal was especially timely as he was heading for a middling score of 40, which would barely have registered in the top 100.

Indeed, his attack and possession scores more than made up for his poor defence score of -7, helping Messi to pip his rivals to the top spot.

Goals aside, Messi played his usual game with lots of time on the ball, serving as a reminder that the Argentine’s value to Barcelona extends beyond mere goals.

But nevertheless, Tata Martino will be pleased to see his star player get back among the goals as Barcelona pass into the knock-out stages.

Crisis, what crisis?