El Clasico: 5 best Lionel Messi performances

Messi holding his jersey aloft for the world to acknowledge his legacy as the best player in history. Image courtesy SI.com
Messi holding his jersey aloft for the world to acknowledge his legacy as the best player in history. Image courtesy SI.com

#4 Barcelona 3-2 Real Madrid - 17 August 2011

Messi doing his best to humiliate Cristiano Ronaldo and Iker Casillas. Image courtesy Dream Team FC
Messi doing his best to humiliate Cristiano Ronaldo and Iker Casillas. Image courtesy Dream Team FC

Barcelona and Real Madrid met for the umpteenth time in a Supercopa encounter. The match was a classic as both Spanish giants matched each other blow for blow until Lionel Messi took matters into his own hands to land the decisive punch which knocked the men in white out cold.

The Messi moments

1. The best way to stop Messi (if something like that exists) is to defend really deep, but Mourinho’s men made the unforgivable mistake of springing a high defensive line, and Messi punished their oversight. Messi spotted the run of Iniesta and threaded him a sublime through ball, allowing the Spaniard to chip Iker Casillas in the Madrid goal. Fast forward six and a quarter years later, and that pass still ranks as Messi’s best El Clasico assist.

2. Messi’s second was sumptuous. The Argentina captain took a Pique’s back heeled pass and strode towards goal, carrying the ball past Khedira and Ronaldo, before dinking it with his right foot over Casillas. That goal is now iconic because of Ronaldo sliding on his knees and watching Messi put Barcelona 2-1 up right in front of him.

3. If Madrid thought they were leaving the Nou Camp with a point after Benzema's equaliser, they could not be more wrong. With the game balanced score-wise, Messi acrobatically fired home Adrian’s cross to make it Barcelona 3-2 Real Madrid.

Rating: 9.3

Commentator’s Messi praise

How can you stop this vision? Excuse me; we just witnessed a goal that is catatonic. Phenomenal football. There’s no answer to that. Imagination in 3D. Astonishing chip home.

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Edited by Shambhu Ajith
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