The Argentine bid goodbye to the Camp Nou and is set to sign for Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer.
Lionel Messi dazzled from his debut in 2004 and has been regularly brilliant in 778 games for Barcelona. AFP Sport picks out six of his most radiant displays for Barcelona. At 19, Lionel Messi was already well established in Frank Rijkaard’s team when he evoked memories of Diego Maradona by dribbling more than half the length of the field to score in the first leg of a Copa del Rey semi-final. Barca were leading Getafe 1-0 at the Camp Nou when, like Maradona against England in 1986, Messi collected the ball facing his own goal, near the right touchline and just inside his own half. Like Maradona, on his way to the ‘Goal of the Century’, Messi set off. He beat six opponents and the goalkeeper before rolling the ball into the net. Barca won 5-2 with two goals and an assist from their No.19, but lost 4-0 in the second leg. Messi had already won a Champions League medal and had faced Cristiano Ronaldo twice when Manchester United eliminated Barcelona in the previous year’s semi-final, when neither starlet scored.
