Memorable sequences in football can last a lifetime, and occasionally it can feel as if all the stars align perfectly on the pitch. For Barcelona and Lionel Messi, Sunday at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu was exactly that type of occurrence.
Lionel Messi’s Late Magic: His Finest El Clasico Moment
The Blaugrana’s 3-2 victory at Real Madrid brings them back to the top of the table in La Liga, level on points with their eternal rival. With the match 2-2 and seemingly destined for a draw, Lionel Messi scored the winner deep into stoppage-time with a magnificent finish past Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas.
From the scintillating shot to the iconic celebration of holding his shirt up to the heavens, Messi’s heroics gave Catalonia an image for the ages. Adding to the surreal nature of it all, it was also the Argentine’s 500th goal for Barcelona.
The world’s greatest sporting rivalry normally brings out the best from the players involved, and Messi certainly rose to the occasion in an amazing way. While Sunday’s victory is clearly strong in the mind at the present time, it is not the first El Clasico where he has made a major impact.
May 2, 2009 – Santiago Bernabeu – La Liga
The balance of power in the Spanish top flight was shifting, as Pep Guardiola and Lionel Messi helped send a stern message to Real Madrid late in the 2008-09 season. That message was sent in the form of a 6-2 Barcelona victory in a shocking output at the Bernabeu.
Los Blancos had come into the encounter in fine form and boasted an extremely talented side, but were no match for both tiki-taka and Messi’s abilities.
Barcelona’s number ten scored two goals and put in one of his finest overall performances to silence the Madridstas.
March 10, 2007 – Camp Nou – La Liga
The name had been mentioned before, but to those unaware at that point, Lionel Messi made sure the entire footballing world knew of his incredible skills with a masterful hat-trick against Real Madrid in 2007. The Rosario native scored three separate equalisers in a wild 3-3 draw at the Camp Nou.
Manager Frank Rijkaard’s side revolved around the talents of Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto’o, but it was a 19-year-old Messi who rescued a point in El Clasico.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLzB8CAQ-4A
Lionel Messi has become a true legend in the game, and much of his legacy in Spain began with this spectacular evening.
April 27, 2011 – Santiago Bernabeu – UEFA Champions League
Messi’s incredible brace on Sunday, punctuated by his late winner, was enough to see some Madrid supporters in the Bernabeu crowd stand and applaud his efforts. But in the UEFA Champions League semi-final round during the 2010-11 campaign, the mood was not quite the same.
Despite a physical approach from the home side, Messi sliced through the Real defence and finished a breathtaking movement that effectively ended the contest in the second leg.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwsFYkp_r5w
The result put a mountain of pressure on Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho, and his time in Spain is often remembered for that failure.
An argument is there for Champions League glory being placed above Barcelona’s most recent 3-2 win. But Lionel Messi’s dramatic late goal has already become his finest El Clasico moment.
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