5 Individual performances which earned applauds from the opposition fans

#4 Lionel Messi vs Atletico Madrid

The youngster who Los Colchoneros applauded at the start of 2009. He would go on to score a lot more against them and in general every other team out there.

Who can forget all those amazing Lionel Messi moments against Atletico Madrid? The freekick last season at Camp Nou which rose above the jumping Diego Costa in the wall and then dipped away from Jan Oblak's diving attempt.

The freekick against Thibaut Courtois at Vicente Calderon. But apart from all those moments, one that stands out is the hattrick against the Rojiblancos that he scored aged 21.

At the Vicente Calderon, the physical Atleti team was tossing Messi around like a rag doll whenever they had the chance. The Blaugrana were without Xavi in the midfield, Eto'o in the attack, and Puyol in defence. The only real goalscoring threat upfront was Messi whom Atleti were trying to deal in a physical way.

The Colchoneros defence of Heitinga, Seitaridis, and Pernia dealt with Barcelona's attackers in their own way. But they were left dumbfounded when Seydou Keita and Lionel Messi combined to bypass them as Messi kept his cool to finish behind keeper Coupet. 12 minutes in, Barcelona led thanks to the 21-year-old.

In the second half, Messi won himself a penalty thanks to an immature challenge by Heitinga. The latter saw red while Messi converted from the spot. The game burst into a piece of magnificence when Messi took the ball from the halfway line and dribbled all the way to the goal. Something that would become his trademark in years to follow.

This time, he dribbled away from Pernia in the wings, Seitaridis on the entrance to the box, and took the shot under Perea's nose which came off the post.

However, he would go on to round Coupet and complete his hattrick in the 80th minute. When Pep Guardiola took his brainchild off the pitch, the hostile Vicente Calderon who was whistling Barcelona till then would stand up in awe of a kid.

A kid who would go on to conquer the footballing world through sheer genius in the coming decade. A standing ovation for a 21-year-old who would win his first ever Ballon d'Or later that year.

When the Colchoneros fans look back at that day, they need not rue themselves for giving a stranger that ovation. They would be known as the fans who had applauded the great Lionel Messi before his genius was even known to this world.