El Clasico: 5 best Lionel Messi performances

#3 Real Madrid 3-4 Barcelona - 23 March 2014

Messi evading Marcelo's tackle. Image courtesy Soccer Nation

This game was as good as any El Clasico could get. This match bore witness to two teams with attacking intent and was duly filled with goals. However, as both teams and both sets of players tried to outdo each other, a certain Number 10 guaranteed his Barcelona side a first leg 3-4 Supercopa lead.

The Messi moments

1. Messi is much more than a glorified Filippo Inzaghi because apart from scoring a ridiculous number of goals, his assists are inch-perfect and breathtaking. True to his vision, Messi weighted an impressive ball to Iniesta who found himself in an acre of space, after being left unmarked by Dani Carvajal. Iniesta controlled Messi’s glorious pass and blasted a left-foot shot into the Real Madrid goal.

2. It did not matter that Real Madrid had restored parity and gone on to take a 2-1 lead after Benzema had struck twice from crosses in less than three minutes. Messi started the move which resulted in his first for the night.

With the help of Fabregas and Neymar, Messi found himself in the box, took the ball past Marcelo, and pulled the trigger right before Carvajal and Marcelo got a tackle in. His shot left Diego Lopez in the Madrid goal with no chance, making the contest even once more.

3. Though Ronaldo scored from the spot after the referee wrongly awarded a penalty to Madrid, Messi was not deterred in his mission to bury Barcelona’s archrivals in their backyard. After the referee adjudged Ramos to have fouled Neymar inside the Madrid box, Messi effortlessly dispatched the awarded penalty to make it 3-3.

4. When no one was able to tilt the delicately poised tie, up stepped Messi to hammer his second penalty of the evening beyond the stretching palms of Diego Lopez.

Rating: 9.5

Commentator’s Messi praise

Lionel Messi hat-trick, the little genius has done it again.