Top 5 historic moments from the Atletico Madrid-Barcelona rivalry

#4 A very Messi hat-trick

Lionel Messi grabbed a hat-trick when Barcelona beat Atletico Madrid 5-0

Seldom do we view a Lionel Messi hat-trick as such a spectacle, given how often we see it. But there was something particularly ingenious about the part his trio of goals played in Barcelona’s 5-0 mauling of Atletico back in September 2011. David Villa’s opener and a Miranda own goal capped off the scoring, but it was the little Argentine’s dynamic dribbling and death finishing which stole the show. In fact, there was nothing ‘Messi’ about it, although the defending was a touch poor.

For his first, Messi rounded a defender after collecting the ball from a throw-in and he then placed the ball in the far corner of the net. Messi’s second looked just as easy, as the four-time Ballon d’Or winner weaved his way through a demoralised Atletico back-line before finding the net with a vicious close-range strike. To conclude, Messi drove down the flank, cut inside and nutmegged Thibaut Courtois to further convey his elegance and precision on the ball.

The result, and namely the manner in which it was inflicted, did really highlight the gulf in class between the two at the time and it came at the core of one of Barca’s best campaigns. Messi is far more than a revelation. In many respects, he is already a legend and it is moments of majesty and wizardry like this hat-trick that continue to mould him into the incredible player he is.