Lionel Messi has been endlessly exalted as this generation’s greatest player, and rightly so.
So instead of boring you with another blog on just how good the masterful Argentinian is – and he was immensely so against Bayern Munich on Wednesday evening – it would instead be appropriate to highlight the class of the man, temperament-wise as well as in terms of his mercurial skill.
Barca were 4-0 up at half time having completely destroyed Bayern in the first half. Messi, of course, ran the show, scoring twice and having a direct influence in the creation of goals for Samuel Eto’o and Thierry Henry.
Aside from his dominant input, it was an incident in the lead-up to Henry’s goal that merely served to underline Messi’s positive attitude that bodes so well for him.
With the ball at his feet on the edge of the Bayern penalty area, Bayern’s tormentor was clearly set to pick another perfectly-weighted pass when a frustrated Mark van Bommel steamed in with his elbow raised and dumped Messi on the floor.
Referee Howard Webb allowed play to continue, and it turned out to be the correct decision as the ball pinged to Henry who coolly slotted home to fully exercise the advantage he had been played.
Van Bommel had been served his dues and within a minute Messi was back on his feet, smiling at the reward for his side and without a murmur to Webb.
And it’s that manner – the one that conveys his enjoyment of the game while not allowing anything or anybody, malicious, incidental or otherwise to interrupt his approach – that further elevates Messi’s status as such a class act.