Lionel Messi Keeps His Eyes On The Ultimate Prize

It can no longer be considered a coincidence. Leo Messi is never one to shy away from a challenge and he had the opportunity to break Mundo's record, but did not think twice about focusing on what is best for the team as a whole. He will not be known for scoring the most consecutive goals against Athletic Bilbao, but he will be lauded for seeing his team through a complicated game against a solid and tenacious opponent.
Messi's two assists show just what kind of a player he is.

The first was a powerful but precise pass up the pitch. The second came after a series of his characteristic swerves and shimmies, which would have culminated in a shot on goal in times gone by. However, this time he finished with a cut-back. He picked out Neymar on both occasions and found Munir on others, as the youngster also made some fantastic runs but failed to produce the finish.


For the Messi of old, a game with three attempts and none of them on target would have been chalked up as a poor performance. Not this time round. He was the best player on the pitch, based on his influence on the result and, above all, on the game. His commitment to the rest of the players was exemplified by his attempt to recover the ball when he committed Barça's first foul of the match.

Messi proved his class in the midst of an electric atmosphere. The flags and banners to mark National Day of Catalonia came close to distracting Barça's attentions when they were set to face Athletic - a solid opponent which requires absolute concentration from start to finish. Lionel Messi demonstrated just that.