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10 of the best: Lionel Messi's standout performances against Real Madrid

Lionel Messi is a genius - plain and simple. Here's a look at 10 standout El Clasico performances against arch-rivals Real Madrid.

Few matches in world soccer have encapsulated the excitement, drama and appeal of the beautiful game quite like El Clasico.

The monumental rivalry between the giants of Madrid and Catalonia has showcased some of the greatest encounters in football history, featuring an abundance of the best players to ever grace a pitch.

No player is more synonymous with the historic tie than Argentinian magician, Lionel Andres Messi.

His record of 26 goals and 14 assists make him the fixture’s all-time top goal scorer and assist provider. 
With numerous man of the match displays across 44 games to date, the legendary forward is undoubtedly the greatest Clasico player of all time.
From scoring his first career hat trick at 19 to an emphatic performance in the Champions League semifinals, the 33-year-old has been a thorn in the side of Los Blancos for well over a decade.

Here are 10 moments where Lionel Messi stole the show against his age-old foes by Planet Sport.

Last minute Bernabeu winner

Real Madrid 2-3 Barcelona
April 23, 2017
There are few better ways to commemorate your 500th goal for a club than a last-minute winner against your biggest rivals.
As the 2016/17 La Liga title race approached its enthralling end, second-placed Barcelona travelled to the capital with a victory needed to regain top spot from the hosts. 
Messi opened the scoring for the visitors in the 33rd minute, intelligently dribbling into the Madrid box to finish in style, cancelling out Casemiro’s opener five minutes earlier.
No Clasico is ever complete without its fair share of drama and the latter stages of the affair proved to be no different. 
With Barcelona 2-1 up - courtesy of Ivan Rakitic - Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos was dismissed in the 77th minute as Barcelona pushed for a third.

Against the odds, James Rodriguez equalized five minutes from time, in what looked like a vital point for Zidane’s ten men. 

Or was it?
Deep into stoppage time, the game’s fifth and final goal was scored by an all-too-familiar hero, with just 15 seconds to spare.
Timing a late run to perfection, Messi met a low-driven pass from Jordi Alba on the edge of the box, putting a first-time strike beyond Keylor Navas, to the delight of the travelling faithful.
Removing his shirt and proudly holding it aloft to a stunned Bernabeu, Barcelona’s architect had made history once more.

The Champions League semifinal brace

Real Madrid 0-2 Barcelona 
April 27, 2011
A Champions League semifinal first leg clash at the Santiago Bernabeu. 
Pep Guardiola vs Jose Mourinho. Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo. The scene was set and the whole world was watching.
In what was very much a first-half stalemate, Guardiola’s free-flowing attack was successfully stopped by Mourinho’s robust defence, as both sides failed to score before the break.
The next 45 minutes told an entirely different tale. 
A Lionel Messi masterclass saw him score two late goals as his side headed towards European glory.
Breaking the deadlock in the 76th minute, the Argentinian talisman latched onto Ibrahim Afellay’s pinpoint cross, to convert from close range at the front post. 
Despite emphatically giving his side the lead, it was a moment of sublime genius -  just three minutes from normal time - that would dominate football headlines worldwide.  
Receiving the ball 30 yards from goal, he embarked on a mazy run through five Real Madrid outfield players to slot the ball past a hopeless Iker Casillas.
In an interview with the club’s website, Messi chose the ‘unique’ match as his favourite one in a Barcelona shirt, and it’s clear to see why. 

Heroic hat trick on the biggest stage

Barcelona 3-3 Real Madrid
March 10, 2007
Scoring three goals in one El Clasico is a feat only a handful of players in football history can accredit to their name.
Messi had achieved this by the time he was 19, with his first career hat trick.

It has been widely noted that this game propelled the Argentinean from promising wonderkid to footballing superstar, as he brought Barcelona back from behind on three separate occasions.

In an action packed first half, he twice cancelled out goals from legendary forward Ruud Van Nistelrooy, beating Iker Casillas with two close range efforts from within Madrid’s penalty area.
After an audacious header from Sergio Ramos gave the away side their third lead of the game, it was yet again down to the Argentine teenager to draw his side back level.
Latching on to a Ronaldinho through-ball, his quick thinking and mesmerising footwork allowed him to evade the outstretched legs of the Madrid defence, unleashing a thunderous strike into the bottom right corner.

Praised as a 'special' player by Frank Rijkaard post-game, it was without doubt that he had announced himself on the biggest stage of Spanish football.

New position, same story

Real Madrid 2-6 Barcelona
May 2, 2009 
With the fate of the 2008/09 La Liga title hanging in the balance, Pep Guardiola called a last-minute meeting with Messi at the club’s training base on the eve of his side’s important grudge match.
Having analysed hours of Real’s defensive footage with assistant Tito Vilanova, the Spaniard explained to his star forward that he would be deployed in a deeper offensive role than usual.
Playing as a ‘false nine’ behind Samuel Eto’o and Thierry Henry allowed Messi more time on the ball and crucial attacking spaces to exploit, as he dazzled in a ruthless six-goal decimation.
The risk had paid off.
His first contribution of the game was a perfect chipped through-ball, carving open the Madrid defence and gifting the ball to Henry, who made no mistake in slotting home.
In addition to the exquisite assist, the talisman also pitched in with a scintillating brace as the Catalonians ran riot.
The first was a calculated, low-driven finish after Xavi dispossessed Diarra deep in opposition territory to play him through for a simple one-on-one. 
Utilising the midfielder’s exceptional vision once more, his second was drilled past Casillas after a meticulous one-two with the number-six on the edge of the area. 
The annihilation sent Barcelona seven points clear at the top with four games to go, giving them one hand on the title as Messi and co. embarrassed the reigning champions in their own backyard.

Heroic hat trick part two

Real Madrid 3-4 Barcelona
March 23, 2014
In his second career Clasico hat trick, Messi usurped Alfredo Di Stefano in becoming the tie’s all-time record goal scorer, as his team emerged victorious in a seven-goal thriller.
Undeniably the man of the match, he played a part in all four goals, assisting Andres Iniesta for the first, before bagging the other three himself. 
In truly astounding fashion, the sensational South American twice brought his team back from behind before scoring the winner, as the famous fixture delivered again.
His first of the evening was an astute finish, after various deflections allowed him to wriggle through the pressing crowd of Madrid bodies.
With his second being a well-placed spotkick to cancel out an earlier penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.
Rounding off a tremendous treble in style, Messi proved his worth from the penalty spot once more, holding his nerve to convert his third in the 83rd minute, to finally put the game beyond doubt.
Passionately kissing the club crest in celebration, he was mobbed by his adoring teammates as they ended Real Madrid’s 31-game unbeaten run in all competitions.
The historic display also made Messi the second-highest scorer in La Liga history, a record he would go on to break with ease.

The battle of the GOATs

Barcelona 2-2 Real Madrid 
October 7, 2012 

In a tense game which further fuelled the fiery debate of the world’s greatest player, a Messi brace was matched by Cristiano Ronaldo as two Goliaths of the game locked horns once more.

Having boasted a 100% record prior to the clash, Barcelona found themselves a goal down 20 minutes into the first half, as a left-footed strike from the Portuguese international flew past Victor Valdes.
Like many El Clasico matches of recent years, it was down to the acclaimed number-ten of blue and red to establish a foothold in the fixture for his side, as he scored the next two goals of the match.
Ten minutes after his rival’s opener, the Argentine had equalised in unorthodox fashion, slamming the ball home after a scrappy goalmouth scramble landed at his feet.
On the turn of the hour mark, his second goal was quite the opposite, a thing of beauty.
Standing over a 30-yard free kick, Messi took a quick glance at the Madrid goal before thunderously unleashing a strike up-and-over the wall, curling past Casillas to give Barca the advantage.
Impressively, Ronaldo equalised just five minutes later, finishing off a clever passing move for Mourinho’s men as the game ended two apiece.
The points may have been shared that night, but so was an admiration for two of soccer’s greatest players.

Goal trio inspired by Leo

Real Madrid 0-3 Barcelona
December 23, 2017 
A relentless display from Messi inflicted a seasonal beating on the Bernabeu, as a resounding Barcelona cruised to victory and continued their momentum at the top of the league.
Despite a first half goal drought, the mini magician influenced a comfortable three-goal victory as the hosts self-destructed in calamitous fashion.
Already a goal up through Luis Suarez, Barcelona received an early Christmas present when Madrid were reduced to ten men, with half an hour left to play.
Dani Carvajal cunningly palmed Paulinho’s goal-bound header away from the open Madrid goal to subsequently award the opposition a penalty and himself a red card.
Cool and composed, Messi doubled Barcelona’s lead from the spot, as he calmly placed the ball past Navas.
Rounding off another triumph in the capital, the Argentine was also on hand with an assist, cleverly cutting the ball back to Aleix Vidal, who put the game to bed once and for all in its final seconds.
The result sent Ernesto Valverede’s side 14 points clear of Madrid, all but eliminating their opponents from the title race as Blaugrana went on to lift their 25th Spanish title. 

Five goal Barca, five star Messi

Barcelona 5-0 Real Madrid
November 29, 2010
As he humiliated Los Blancos once more, Messi took an unfamiliar backseat from the goalscoring as a stellar performance saw him return two assists.
Kickstarting the attack for his team’s opener, the forward picked out Andres Iniesta who routinely linked up with fellow midfield maestro Xavi, who put the hosts ahead with a divine chip.
Early in the second half, Messi notched his first assist of the night, a trademark left-footed ball played through David Villa - who finished with ease - despite impassioned offside claims from the visitors.
Just three minutes later and he had linked up with the Spaniard once more, with his second contribution of the night being an easy contender for assist of the season.
Receiving the ball in his own half, Messi surged into Real territory; evading two challenges, and in a split second, sprayed a sublime, defence-splitting pass to the striker, who finished with ease once more.
In his post-match reaction, Pep Guardiola raved about his star player, proclaiming: ‘He doesn’t just score, he is only 23 and he is simply the best at everything.’ 

Supercopa superhero part 1

Real Madrid 2-2 Barcelona
August 14, 2011
Aside from his success in La Liga and the Champions League, two of Messi’s best Clasico performances came in the 2011 Supercopa de Espana. 
The Argentine grabbed the headlines yet again as he was involved in all five of his team’s goals, as they edged a nine-goal thriller across two legs, just three days apart.
With the first meeting of the two being hosted in the capital, Barcelona knew that avoiding defeat would give them the all-important advantage at the Camp Nou.
A motivated Messi ensured this was the case.
Dragging his side back into the game after a Mesut Ozil opener, he utilised his superb vision to assist David Villa, who converted with a calculated 20-yard lob.
By the stroke of half time, he had then put them ahead. 
Gliding through the Madrid defence, he sat down Pepe with ease before hitting the target, to score a great solo goal for the visitors.
Despite the number 10’s best efforts, a second-half strike from Xabi Alonso left the fate of the tie to be decided in the second leg. 

Supercopa superhero part 2

Barcelona 3-2 Real Madrid (AGG: 5-4)
August 17, 2011

Messi has won over 30 trophies during his time at Barca, including 10 La Liga titles and four European Cups and

Picking up where he left off, Messi chipped in with two great goals and an assist, as the fiery cup affair drew to a close.
Unlike the reverse fixture, it was the Catalonians who struck first blood, a trademark through-ball from the Argentine found Andres Iniesta, as they re-established their advantage in the tie.

CR7 made it 3-3 on aggregate shortly after, but on the night they were no match for the dangerous Barcelona.

With his first goal, Messi cleverly converted with a low weak-footed chip after a perfect Gerard Pique pass.
Game on. 
Ten minutes from time, Karim Benzema scored Madrid’s second equaliser of the game as both sides faced yet another four-goal stalemate. 
Until the 87th minute. 
After switching off and leaving the best player in the world unmarked, Real’s defence were cruelly punished as he scored his second of the night, putting the game to bed once and for all.
Yet another memorable Messi moment had etched itself into the history books.

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