El Clasico: 5 best Lionel Messi performances

#1 Real Madrid 2-3 Barcelona - 23 April 2017

It takes 'only' five players to stop Messi. Image courtesy Who Ate all the Pies

Barcelona were trying to catch Real Madrid at the top of the La Liga log. So, to Barca, the game was a bubble-or-burst. Lose and Real Madrid would have a hand on the La Liga trophy; win and Barcelona would draw level and leapfrog Real Madrid at the top of the table since La Liga uses head-to-head to rank clubs once two teams are level on points.

Ultimately, with the world watching from 185 countries, Barcelona won the match thanks to a majestic performance from Lionel Messi. His showing was his best, most emotional, and most matured in El Clasico history.

The Messi moments

Messi is so good that the gameplan of any Madrid coach is to stop him by all means, mainly through dark arts. It is the reason why Casemiro, Marcelo, and Ramos kept clattering into Messi on the night and even bloodied his mouth.

Now, what separates Messi from the rest of the footballers on this planet is that instead of letting opposition players get in his head each time he was on the receiving end of perpetual fouls, Messi always chose to elevate his game and punish the guilty party through dribbles and goals. And that was what he did at the Bernabeu in April 2017.

1. There was a high intensity to Messi’s play on the night. He picked the ball up and wrong-footed both Modric and Carvajal to hit the ball under the arms of Keylor Navas, hence, drawing Barcelona level.

2. Messi is the only player who adds such finesse to a powerful strike. His goal which arrived after Madrid had temporarily equalised was just top-draw. Sergi Roberto started the move, but it was Jordi Alba who pulled the ball back into Messi’s track. Messi rifled a ferocious strike into the bottom right corner of the Madrid goal. And despite Navas defying the laws of physics in his attempt to keep out Messi’s hit, the ball travelled too quickly beyond keeper's leap.

Rating: 10

Commentator’s Messi praise

Lionel Messi has done it again. He is superhuman. Lionel Messi just exploded La Liga into life. Another chapter in the incredible story of this little man.