Messi’s treble-treble: Barcelona superstar on track for Real history

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The Argentine played a pivotal role in the Blaugrana’s historic triumphs in 2009 and 2015 but repeating the feat this year would be his greatest yet. During Barcelona’s laboured win over Valencia in November 2014, Lionel Messi looked “bored”, according to former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes. Just six months later, the Argentine played a pivotal role as the Blaugrana became the first European club ever to claim a second continental treble. Scholes hadn’t read the situation incorrectly, though.

A dressing-room bust-up with then coach Luis Enrique after a tame 1-0 loss at Real Sociedad at the turn of the year later confirmed by defender Jeremy Mathieu – had been responsible for arresting Messi’s apathy. Four years on, Barca are bidding for another treble, with Messi proving even more influential than he was in either 2015 or 2009. Furthermore, motivation has not been an issue at any point during the current campaign. The agony of watching Real Madrid win three successive Champions League titles has seen to that.

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Messi admitted even before the season began that, after last term’s domestic double, it was time to conquer Europe again. He has, therefore, been playing like a man possessed, taking on all-comers on three fronts, intent on achieving something truly spectacular with a squad nowhere near as strong as Barca’s previous treble-winners. Indeed, that the Blaugrana beat Real Madrid on Wednesday night without playing particularly well was hardly a shock. They have, after all, been winning games in unconvincing fashion all season.

However, what was surprising about Barca’s 3-0 Copa del Rey victory at Santiago Bernabeu was that the visitors triumphed without Messi at his best. As former Real Madrid boss Vicente Del Bosque pointed out in explaining why he rates the Argentine above Cristiano Ronaldo, “Messi almost always plays well. “There are players who never do anything wrong and he has an impressive consistency.” Particularly in Clasicos. No player has scored more goals (26) or racked up as many assists (14) in the fixture’s 103-year history. Yet Messi was largely anonymous in the Copa del Rey semi-final second leg.

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The electrifying but profligate Vinicius Junior had six shots alone; Messi didn’t register one. So, while Real may have once again let Luis Suarez run riot, they at least did a fine job in nullifying Barcelona’s primary goalscoring and creative threat. Of course, they did that by any means necessary: on one of the few occasions Messi found some space in between Madrid’s defensive lines, he was ruthlessly chopped down by Toni Kroos, while there is still a photo of a desperate Luka Modric holding to the Barca No.10’s jersey doing the rounds on social media.

It evoked memories of Marco Materazzi’s advice to any team that has the misfortune to come across an in-form Messi. The Blaugrana are already the only club in history to win a continental treble twice. Now, thanks to their clinical Copa win in Madrid, they remain on course for a third. Messi, of course, is the principal reason why. Subdued as he may have been against Real, Barca would not have even made the semis had it not been for their captain, who orchestrated second-leg fightbacks in both the last 16, against Levante, and the quarter-finals, against Sevilla. Such heroics were only required because the skipper had been rested for the first legs. And why had he been rested? Because Messi has been almost carrying Barcelona on his own this season, certainly from an offensive perspective.

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