5 instances when Lionel Messi lost his temper on the pitch

Seydou Keita pulls Messi away during his argument with Yanga-MbiwaAs Peter Parker’s uncle Ben aptly stated in the movie Spiderman, “With great power comes great responsibility,” that logic even applies in the real world when human beings are under the spotlight. Powers need not necessarily mean to possess some kind of extraordinary, supernatural gifts that would require the world to be saved. It could also imply the greatness of an individual who can ply their talents and become masters of their trade, inspiring others to do so.And in the world of football, Lionel Messi has been that extraordinary being that has graced the beautiful game and has elevated the sport’s image to a different level altogether. The Argentine has been at the summit of the modern game along with his adversary Cristiano Ronaldo and since his debut has won numerous accolades individually and collectively, and continues to do so to this day.But being called the best of your generation can also become a great burden as the whole world constantly keeps a watch on both your on-field and off the field actions. And Messi is no different as the Argentine is always on the radar of the footballing globe for whatever he does always makes its way to the front page.While there have been uncountable instances of his genius moments on the field, there have been rare occasions when the Argentine forward came under the microscope for losing his cool on the pitch. We take a look at such 5 instances.

#5 Headbutts Shakhtar right back Srna

Messi headbutted the Croatian during the 2009 UEFA Supercup game

In the 2009 UEFA Supercup, Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona, who became Spain’s first treble winning side, took on Ukraine champions Shakhtar Donetsk in Monaco as they began their hunt for more titles in the new season.

Shakhtar, however, were in the Catalan outfit’s way as the UEFA Cup winners were adamant and resilient in their quest to cause an upset. And their plans were going well as the match headed into extra time.

But just when it seemed as if the game was heading in for a penalty shootout, Pedro spoiled the party for the Ukrainians as he combined well with the tireless Lionel Messi, exchanging passes with the forward and scored the 115th-minute winner to deliver the Supercup to his side.

Enduring a frustrating night is something which the Argentine isn’t accustomed to and that became apparent after Barca’s no. 10 barged into Shakhtar’s full-back Darijo Srna who made a crucial clearance preventing Messi from finishing off one of his trademark runs.

And then came the moment when both of them clashed and Messi headbutted the Croatian right back as tempers flared and players gathered around the scene of the crime. The referee displayed a yellow card to the Argentine for his actions and both sides continued on with the game.

#4 Verbal confrontation with Malaga defender Weligton

Messi abused Weligton as the defender grasped his throat and pushed him away

Barcelona’s historic second treble under Luis Enrique in the 2014/15 season was mainly down to the flawless performances of the Catalans in the second half of their campaign. However, life in the initial stages wasn’t that smooth as Barca endured few rough outcomes in their quest to secure the La Liga title. One such stumbling block was presented in the form of Malaga.

Barca visited Estadio La Rosaleda in search of three points which would keep them level on points against arch-rivals Real Madrid who were sitting at the top of the table. But Malaga had other plans as they frustrated Messi and co. Barcelona failed to find the back of the net and ultimately lost the match 1-0, thus suffering a setback in the title race.

And on a disappointing night for the Catalans, Messi ended up grabbing the wrong headlines after Malaga defender Weligton accused the Argentine maestro of calling him a ‘son of a bi***’. Weligton responded by grabbing Messi by the throat and pushing him backward for which he received a yellow card.

It appeared that the defender did try to initiate contact with a minor shoulder-to-shoulder bump but when asked about the incident he said, “A minute before, Messi tried to play a one-two, I tried to block him with my arm.

“He thought I caught him in the face, but it was by accident. You can see from the images. He got angry and came at me, calling me a ‘son of a bi***’. That was when I caught him by the throat.”

#3 Spitting on Duda

Messi put on a marvelous performance against Malaga despite the poor conditions

Back in 2008, the world had already started to consider Messi one of the best players of the game and the then 21-year-old’s dazzling performances on the pitch were a testament to that fact. A relatively young talent amongst well-established household names like Samuel Eto’o, Thierry Henry, and Deco, Messi was already heralded as a star who had become accustomed to being feted with praises.

However, that changed when the Argentina captain faced heavy criticism from the press and Spanish football authorities for the spitting incident during Barcelona’s 4-1 victory against Malaga. Messi displayed some sensational form under horrendous conditions on a largely water-logged pitch. But the Ballon d’Or winner was on the end of several hard tackles from the Malaga defenders.

And during a running battle with Dunga, the pair collided and ended up on the ground together, while getting to his feet, Messi appeared to spit in the direction of the Portuguese who had his back to the Barcelona player. The incident was caught by television cameras that had zoomed in on the pair.

Spanish football officials investigated the matter and nothing was made of the incident. Pep Guardiola, who was Barca’s manager at the time, said, “It is not good that these things happen. We will try to avoid these type of incidents.”

#2 Messi headbutts Yanga-Mbiwa

Messi grabs Yanga-Mbiwa by his throat during Barcelona's friendly match with AS Roma

The most recent incident that brought out the ugly side of the Barcelona star was during a friendly game against AS Roma. The Catalan side were up against the Serie A giants in a match that was contested for the Joan Gamper trophy.

Luis Enrique’s men took an early lead through Neymar whose strike gave Barcelona the advantage over the Italians. However, things heated up when Messi came face-to-face with Yanga-Mbiwa, Roma’s new recruit from Newcastle had a verbal exchange that instigated the Argentine who reacted by head-butting him and grabbing the midfielder’s throat.

In what could easily have been a red card offense, the referee let both players slide by showing a yellow card to each considering that it was just a friendly game. Barcelona eventually won the game 3-0 which included a Messi goal on the scoresheet.

#1 Throws a punch at Celta Vigo\'s Jonathan Villa

Jonathan Vila and Messi confronted each other after the Argentine punched the Malaga defender

This incident occurred in 2012 after the birth of his son Thiago as Leo Messi was inspired and ready to take on Celta Vigo in Barcelona’s weekend La Liga clash. With 10 goals from 7 games in his bag already, Messi was hitting his usual standards as Barcelona welcomed mid-table side Celta to the Camp Nou.

But the Argentine experienced a rare game where he couldn’t get on the scoresheet which eventually led to a frustrating night in front of the home fans. And Celta’s successful efforts to thwart the 27-year-old from finding the back of the net brought out the unpleasant side of Messi as he was spotted throwing a punch at opposition defender Jonathan Villa.

Cameras captured the moment which went under the referee’s nose at the time but the pair confronted each other as Messi continued his verbal spat with the defender. It was unusual from the little genius as it was the first time that Messi had produced a physical reaction of that sorts.

Barca grabbed a win but the game was remembered for Messi’s ugly confrontation rather than his moments of genius.