Barcelona 8-2 Huesca: 5 Talking Points and Tactical Analysis | LaLiga 2018/19

#2 Leo Messi an island of calm in a sea of petulance

Messi let Suarez take the penalty despite being on a hattrick.

We're certain no one needs a recap of the drama surrounding Luka Modric being awarded the UEFA Player of the year. The childing behaviour showing by Cristiano Ronaldo on a fellow teammate winning a prestigious award he feels is rightly his was not a one-off. In fact, it has become normal, sometimes even acceptable behaviour when a player's tantrums take precedence over acceptable behaviour and general respect.

However, Messi showed last night why he is so often the leading example for young athletes hoping to become professional footballers showed aspire to follow. The Barca captain was on a hat-trick and had the chance to get his third and move clear of Karim Benzema in the LaLiga goal-scoring charts from the spot. Luis Suarez made one gesture asking Messi if he could take it and Messi simply dabbed the ball back to him to take the penalty.

Suarez ended the game with a brace as did Messi and we can't help but wonder how some of the other superstars with huge egos would react. We don't have to wonder, do we? We already have examples Even the rift between Cavani and Neymar over the same issue, for instance.