Lionel Messi after his dramatic stoppage-time
Clasico winner against Real Madrid, saying the
Barcelona star is "decisive even when he is at
home eating dinner".
LaLiga title-holders Barca recorded a stunning 3-2
victory over bitter rivals Madrid thanks to Messi's
92nd-minute winner at the Santiago Bernabeu on
Sunday.
After Madrid substitute James Rodriguez equalised
with five minutes of normal time remaining, Messi
- who restored parity for the visitors in the first half
- popped up and scored his 500th goal for the
Catalans with the last kick of the match to send
the Catalans top of the table.
And Luis Enrique could not hide his delight
afterwards, hailing five-time Ballon d'Or winner
Messi.
"Messi is decisive even when he is at home eating
dinner," Luis Enrique told his post-match news
conference.
"He is the best player in history and I have seen a
lot of football and many videos.
"He has scored 500 goals and it is a great pleasure
for all the Barca fans to identify with him as one of
them.
"Barca have been an incredible for many years but
an important part of their history is owed to
Messi."
Barca found themselves on the back foot in the
Spanish capital when Casemiro opened the scoring
for Madrid in the 28th minute, only for Messi to hit
back against the run of play five minutes later.
Madrid controlled the second half but Barca made
it count on the scoreboard when Ivan Rakitic fired
a thunderous strike into the net 17 minutes from
the end.
It got worse for Madrid when captain Sergio Ramos
saw red for a two-footed challenge on Messi four
minutes later, but the hosts managed to draw level
in the 85th minute via James.
Barca, though, were not to be denied on enemy
territory as Messi brought up his milestone and
removed his shirt to hold it up in front of a
shellshocked Madrid crowd.
"It explains the height of the season we are in. We
needed to fight. There were many chances for both
teams and the pace was very high," Luis Enrique
continued. "A great Sant Jordi day for all Catalans.
"No one doubts the potential of Madrid, one of the
best teams in the world that continues to win titles.
They are very powerful.
"We think we won because we wanted to reward
and highlight that the behaviour of the fans, our
fans, in the 85th minute and for supporting the
team when we lost to Juventus."
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