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What's the story?
Former Indian Cricket Team captain Rahul Dravid, rightfully called 'The Wall' of India, was at Camp Nou yesterday and was left completely mesmerized by the fantastic display of Lionel Messi, whose goal in the 86th minute sealed a 2-0 victory for the Barcelona in an important top of the table LaLiga clash with Atletico Madrid.
Dravid, who was spectating the match with his family yesterday, told the media after the match that to visit Camp Nou and watch a football match live was one of the few things he had always dreamed of.
In case you didn't know...
The Indian cricket legend is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. The 30-year-old has left all other strikers ways behind the European Golden Shoe race, with him being the only player in Europe at the moment with 30 or more goals in the league.
The heart of the matter...
The Catalan club hosted Atletico at the Camp Nou, in a possible title-deciding clash and among the 92,453 fans who watched in awe as Suarez and Messi left it late to spoil Atletico's party, scoring in the 85th and 86th minute respectively, was a special guest in Rahul Dravid, the current head coach for India's Under-19 and 'A' cricket teams.
After the hosts' victory, Dravid said that watching Suarez and Messi live at the Camp Nou was a fantastic experience for him. He told FC Barcelona's representatives: (Via News18)
“To be able to watch players like Messi and Suarez play live, it’s fantastic for me and my family. Thanks to Barcelona FC for the hospitality, it’s been excellent."
He then joined hundreds of others before him who've been left spellbound by Messi magic and claimed that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner is easily the best player he's ever seen. He continued:
“He’s an absolute genius. It’s incredible to watch what he does and to watch him live… One thing to see with Messi is how fantastic he is with the ball but it is incredible to see how good he is without the ball and how he is able to find spaces. I don’t think there’s been a better player than him ever. It’s fantastic to watch him live."
He also met club president Josep Maria Bartomeu after the match.
What's next?
Barcelona are within the touching distance of yet another LaLiga title this year. It remains to be seen whether they'll have a similar smooth sailing in their quest for the UEFA Champions League title as well. With a victory over Atletico, they'll now head into their UCL quarter-finals clash with Premier League club Manchester United with a much-needed boost.
