W hen Lionel Messi scores, the Argentinan great is artistry in motion. On Sunday, the goal-machine once again showed why he is arguably the best footballer on this planet. Despite haunting concerns that his form has been on the wane of late, the Barcelona superstar silenced the partisan Bernabéu crowd with a last-ditch winner to score a sensational 500th goal for Barcelona. His astonishing brace in Sunday’s 3-2 El Clásico win was the first time since 2014 that this Argentine wonder got into the scoring act against cross-town rivals Real Madrid in a LaLiga clash. The crucial win over Real not only set the record straight for Luis Enrique’s team but also erased the huge disappointment of enduring a quarter-final exit from the Champions League against Juventus last week. The two clashes against Juventus failed to produce a goal from the Catalans despite boasting of the dreaded trio of Messi, Suarez and Neymar (MSN). Though Neymar missed Sunday’s El Clasico due to suspension, Barcelona rose above 10-man Real Madrid at the top of La Liga to shake them up as Real were fresh from their crushing win over Bayern Munich which gave them a controversial passage into Champions League semi-finals after Ronaldo’s contentious ‘off-side’ goals at the same venue. Therefore Barcelona’s thrilling win at the Bernabeu might have just succeeded in upsetting Real’s applecart ahead of next week’s Champions League semis against city rivals Atletico Madrid. There isn’t anything particularly wrong with the way Real Madrid defended at the Bernabéu although they got enough bodies in front of Messi. However, the genius that he is with the ball, Messi just found a way to wriggle around all of them as Barcelona managed to snatch a fighting win that will go down in the annals of the Spanish League as one of the most memorable clash between two fierce rivals. This for the sheer fact that it came through their famous star’s 500th goal. Such is Messi’s record, that besides his landmark for Barcelona, the Argentine also took his El Clásico tally to 16, which is an all-time league record and two more than the legendary Alfredo di Stefano. Not only did Messi bring joy to his fans with this incredible feat, he also showed the world why he has a penchant for goals. The Barcelona ace played his role to perfection with a celebration that followed his winning goal where he took off his shirt and asked Real Madrid fans to read his name. With Barcelona back on top, it’s still Madrid’s title to lose. Zinedine Zidane’s team could have killed off Barcelona on Sunday night, but the Catalans brought their A game to the plate. It was a truly fantastic game of football.
