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Lionel Messi has been one of the two standout players this decade, the other one of course being Cristiano Ronaldo. The Argentine’s performances have been a sheer joy to watch through the course of this decade. With the exits of Xavi and Andres Iniesta from Barcelona, Messi has evolved his game to compensate for the absence of the Spanish midfield maestros. His performances have often left commentators speechless due to the sheer brilliance he exhibits on the field.
Here in this article, let’s take a look at top 5 moments Lionel Messi had.
#5 Five goals vs Bayer Leverkusen in 2012
2012 was a magical year for Lionel Messi. He scored 91 goals in that calendar year breaking Gerd Muller’s record of 85. Bayer Leverkusen bore the brunt of it as Pep Guardiola’s side hammered die Werkself 7-1 at home in the Champions League round of 16 tie with Lionel Messi becoming the first ever player to score 5 goals in a single Champions League match.
Messi started of with his trademark dink over Bernd Leno and then slowly things went out of control for Leverkusen. A second goal came before halftime and in the second half floodgates open for Bayer as Messi got 3 more with Cristian Tello bagging the other 2 to hand over Robin Dutt’s Leverkusen one of the worst ever defeats in the round of 16 in the history of the Champions League.
Also check out: Champions League table La Liga fixtures La liga table 2019-20
#4 Messi vs Bilbao in 2015 Copa del Rey
The 2015 Copa del Rey final was a special Lionel Messi performance. Barcelona won 3-1 against Athletic Bilbao where Messi scored a brace and got the man of the match award for his performance that night.
The first goal he scored against Bilbao in the final will always be one worth remembering. He picked up the ball on the right touchline with three Athletic players surrounding him. In a sublime moment of sheer individual brilliance, he pulled of a stunning fient and moved the ball forward and steered past all three Bilbao players in a situation when it looked impossible to go past them. He then continued to move forward with the ball, cut in and beat a fourth Bilbao player blasted the ball in the near post into the back of the net.
#3 Messi vs Boateng in 2015 UCL semis
“Don't write about him, don't try to describe him. Just watch him,” said Pep Guardiola when he was asked about Lionel Messi. In the Champions League semis in 2015, Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich faced Barcelona. The match ended in a 3-0 drubbing of Bayern in favour of Barcelona.
Barcelona were leading 1-0 at the 77th minute through a Lionel Messi strike. 3 minutes later, he received a ball on the right flank towards the edge of the box and after a couple of moves, he completely imbalanced Jerome Boateng who fell to the ground and the Argentine slotted in a 2nd goal.
#2 Barca 5-0 Real in 2010
It was the first El Clasico for Real Madrid where Jose Mourinho was in charge and it did not end in a pleasant manner for the Portuguese who once worked as a translator at Camp Nou. Real Madrid were completely outclassed throughout the match.
Even though the present-day Barcelona captain was not on the scoresheet, he was heavily involved in the match. He was content to collect balls from the midfield, combine with Xavi and Iniesta and push the ball the forward and looking for opportunities to create chances.
Messi was at his absolute best that night and he was coordinating and setting up at his own free will giving Sergio Ramos and Co. a nightmare on the field. The quartet of Messi, Iniesta, Xavi, and Busquets made sure that Real Madrid never settles down on the game and they were rewarded with a magnificent result at the of the 90 minutes.
#1 Messi shirt scene at Bernabeu in 2017
It was one of the fiercest El Clasicos seen in recent times and Messi was instrumental in scoring a brace including a late goal which turned out to be the winner in a 2-3 result in favour of Barcelona.
The winner at the Bernabeu was symbolic as Lionel Messi opened his shirt and held it towards the Real Madrid fans. It was his 500th goal in a Barcelona shirt and the event where he scored made it all the more special.
The celebration definitely irked a lot of Madrid fans and also the timing of the goal added insult to injury. Real Madrid were already down to 10 men with Sergio Ramos having been sent off in 77th minute. There was little chance of coming back and make something out of the little time that was remaining in that match. Real Madrid had not won the La Liga for 4 seasons and the 16/17 season was looking to be a golden opportunity. Messi, however, had other plans and he surely ruined the party for the Madridistas that night.
