Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has taken a little dig at his critics, pointing out that not so long ago, he was branded as being a disaster.
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The Argentine was back to his best on Wednesday night, as he lit up the Camp Nou with his amazing dribbling and trickery.
Messi questioned how he could be back to his best, when a few months ago he was told that he was a disaster.
"Not along ago, I was a disaster," he told Canal+.
"I'm not going to be a disaster and then suddenly in my best moment.
"Hart saved everything. We did everything we could to score more goals, but their goalkeeper had a fantastic game, so we have to congratulate him.
"But we were able to go through and that was the most important thing.
"We played a great game. We are at a very good level and there are important games ahead – Madrid, the quarter-finals… I am feeling good and enjoying myself, but there is a long way to go."
The striker says that he feels Barcelona are playing well, but they will respect Real Madrid on Sunday when they face them in the El Clasico.
"We started the year in a different way, with our hopes and dreams renewed. We have started well. We have had our ups and downs, but there are a lot of games and the important thing is that we are at a great level and we have to stretch that run," he added.
"We have a lot of respect for Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo. Madrid are even more dangerous like this. We can't say if they are in good or bad form.
"Individually they have impressive players and they could be even stronger than usual. We will try to play our natural game."
Barcelona currently lead the La Liga table by one point and a win on Sunday could open up a four-point gap over their bitter rivals.
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Do you think Lionel Messi is back to his absolute best or do you still think there is more to come? Have your say in the comments section below.
