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This all comes from a quick free kick. Messi is fouled and he doesn’t complain or lie on the ground holding his leg or back or whatever. Instead, he gets up quick and gets the ball moving again. Another genius through ball by Xavi puts Messi in on goal and he beats the defender and slots the ball home. The question these days: Is Messi the Greatest Player of All Time? Prior to El Clasico, the question was asked, ‘Will Cristiano Ronaldo top Messi and show he’s the greatest player in the world’? Ronaldo charged down the field on two or three occasions, but was unable to finish. It was clear Real Madrid lacked the player who could play the killer ball. Real Madrid didn’t have a player like Xavi until Guti came on with twenty minutes left in the game. It was too late though; Barcelona was already up 2-0 after a Pedro goal. Still, just after Guti stepped on the field he played a laser like pass through to Van der Vaart who should have scored. Ray Hudson, the brilliant and comical announcer talked about how Real Madrid didn’t have the player or weren’t play the hesitant sort of teasing ball that catches team off guard. Real Madrid was superb on the counter and direct, but didn’t combine and play together as well as Barcelona. That’s a key element of the game, you have to surprise teams with a blind pass, a stutter step before you make the play, the killer pass catches teams on their heels.
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