Lionel Messi has once again been lavished with praise after the FC Barcelona superstar delivered yet another match-winning performance for the Catalan giants on Sunday.
Click through the mini-gallery above to see some images of Messi in action against Atletico Madrid!
Messi inspired Barca to a narrow 1-0 win over LaLiga rivals Atletico Madrid on Sunday, with his late, side-footed goal earning the reigning league champions all three points.
Atleti dominated the opening exchanges of the match and were unlucky not to walk away with any reward, but Barca coach Ernesto Valverde insisted afterwards that having a player like Messi in the team often makes the difference.
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"When matches are tight and your opponents are strong, having Messi is always a great advantage," Valverde said, as reported by The National.
The result saw Barcelona climb above arch-rivals Real Madrid to the top of the table, albeit on goal difference, and open a six-point gap over sixth-placed Los Rojiblancos.
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Messi has recorded nine goals and five assists in nine LaLiga appearances so far this season, and is the competition's second-highest goalscorer behind Real's Karim Benzema for the campaign.
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