Lionel Messi’s Goal Versus Athletic Bilbao

It was almost like Lionel Messi got a bit angry at how Athletic Bilbao were trying to knock him off the ball and crowd him. Messi just said, yeah, go ahead and try to get the ball from me. I’m on my way towards goal and I’m going to score no matter what. You can’t stop me. Really, nobody can stop Messi, you just have to try to contain him – don’t dive in on Messi or he’ll make you look silly. Don’t let Messi get the ball to his left foot near goal. Easier said than done but Athletic Bilbao should know better, too, since they play against Messi at least a few times a year in La Liga.

The question though is, would Messi’s shot have gone in if Luis Suarez didn’t jump just in time….? You also have to love how happy the Barcelona players, the likes of Neymar, Suarez and Messi, get for one another when someone scores – you can tell they all love playing together. For opposing teams though, it’s pretty much endlessly frustrating playing against those three.

It’s just another amazing Messi goal, this time versus Atletico Bilbao in the Copa Del Rey final, and you don’t often see Messi toy with or try to setup a defender like he did in this play.

Messi tempts the defender to try to take the ball away from him. It was almost Cristiano Ronaldo like in how he teased the opposing defender. Usually Messi just goes right at them on the dribble, not toying or teasing before the dribbling run.