7 times Lionel Messi proved that he too can be as dirty as they come

Joan Gamper Trophy - 'Barcelona v AS Roma'
Joan Gamper Trophy - 'Barcelona v AS Roma'

Lionel Messi is without a shroud of doubt one of the best if not the best footballer in the world. He is the all-time record goalscorer for both Barcelona and Argentina. Moreover, Messi boasts of other multiple individual records that most players could only dream of. At club level, he has inspired Barcelona to clinch every major cup on offer including; La Liga, UEFA Champions League, FIFA World Club Cup and the Copa Del Rey on several occasions.

He is the epitome of a forward whose primary goals are tormenting opposition defences and making an impact for his team to win. Usually, it has been Messi who is tackled and infringed by defenders on top of other forms of dirty play. In these seven rare moments, Messi was also caught up in the dark side of football.


#7 Diving

For someone with over 600 career goals and multiple scoring records, it is hard to imagine that Messi too could ever resort to simulation. On July 26, 2016, Brazilian referee Heber Lopes booked Messi in the 40th minute. This was during an enthralling Copa America Centenario final when Argentina faced Chile. The fiery affair had multiple bookings for five players in the first half but it was Messi's that was least expected.

In a December 2016 league match against Osasuna, Messi went to the ground easily with seemingly no contact from a defender. He quickly confessed that to the referee and avoided a booking. His reputation as a clean player probably also informed the referee's decision to show leniency.

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#6 Messi vs Pepe (2012)

On January 18, 2012, Barcelona faced Real Madrid in the Copa Del Rey first leg quarter-final at the Bernabeu. Barcelona won this fixture 2-1 in a match that Pepe stomped Messi's hand with around 20 minutes left to play. The incident was not spotted by any match official and the already-booked Pepe finished the match unscathed.

In the second leg at Nou Camp, what Messi did was seen as revenge play on the Portuguese centre back. Minutes before halftime, Messi tracked Pepe from behind on the right flank and made a blatant challenge. This earned him a booking with the home fans mercilessly applauding the foul given that Pepe was eligible to play after that first leg incident.

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#5 Kicking the ball at Real Madrid fans

Messi was on the spot in April 2011 during the El Clasico at the Bernabeu. In stoppage time of that closely-contested encounter, he chased down the ball that was going out play and did the unexpected.

On judging that he would not reach the ball on time, he wildly kicked the ball at the Real Madrid fans in frustration. This did not go down well with the home supporters and Madrid players alike. It was unusual behaviour for a player who had built a solid reputation for being calm on the field.

#4 Spitting incident (2008)

Malaga CF v FC Barcelona - La Liga
Malaga CF v FC Barcelona - La Liga

He is regarded as one of the best players to ever play the sport with a reputable disciplinary record. However, he broke character in 2008 when Barcelona faced Malaga. This was a league match that the Catalan giants easily won 4-1.

The match was played in atrocious conditions with Malaga's Duda constantly closing down Messi. The two clashed on several occasions in the tie. Deep into the second half, Messi was brought down by Duda. With no foul given, Messi was livid and television cameras caught him spitting in Duda's direction.

Spitting is considered to be in football's dirty rule book and Messi used that on an opponent to air his frustration.

#3 Time wasting vs Sevilla (2016)

On November 7, 2016, Messi was booked for time wasting during a league match against Sevilla. Messi had gone down after a heavy challenge from Steven Nzonzi which resulted in him losing his left boot.

Instead of walking off the pitch to put on a new pair as instructed, Messi sat on the floor longer than the referee would allow and consequently got booked. He was so frustrated that he threw his boot to the ground before kicking it at Barcelona's staff on the touchline.

#2 Headbutt on Roma defender (2015)

Soccer - Joan Gamper Trophy - FC Barcelona vs. AS Roma
Soccer - Joan Gamper Trophy - FC Barcelona vs. AS Roma

He was at the centre of controversy in August 2015 when Barcelona faced Roma in a friendly match at Nou Camp. In the 34th minute of the match, Messi got into a physical confrontation with Roma defender Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa. Mbiwa leaned in to make contact which subsequently resulted in Messi head-butting the Roma player.

Messi proceeded to wrap his hand around Mbiwa's neck in aggression never previously shown by the Argentine. Referee Javier Estrada Fernandez quickly stepped in to separate the players. Fernandez did not send off the players and just gave them a yellow card. Messi went on to score over five minutes later as Barcelona emerged 3-0 winners.

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#1 Red Card on Argentina debut (2005)

Messi was sent off inside 40 seconds of his senior international debut for Argentina in 2005 in a match that the South Americans won 2-1. After coming on in the second half against Hungary, he received the ball past the halfway line and made one of his trademark runs with the ball.

Hungary's Vilmos Vanczak appeared to hold him back which was a clear foul. He smacked Vanczak on the neck with his elbow which resulted in his sending off. He was an 18-year-old rising star who had just been drafted into Barcelona's first team. His road to becoming a legend for his country certainly started on a rough patch.

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Edited by Amit Mishra