Lionel Messi once spat on an opposition player after losing his temper during a La Liga match

Messi and Malaga winger Duda were involved in verbal and physical exchange throughout the game


Lionel Messi once spat on an opposition player after losing his temper during a La Liga match

Back in 2008, when FC Barcelona was reaching what is widely regarded as the epitome of football, Lionel Messi sparked controversy when he spat at Malaga winger Duda. FC Barcelona beat Malaga 4-1 in a league match on 2 November 2008.

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Running down the wing, Messi came up against Duda multiple times throughout the game. This led to frequent physical battles and verbal exchanges between the two throughout the game. Towards the end of the tie, Messi was seen losing his temper as he and Duda exchanged words once again. As Duda turned around to walk away, Messi spat in his direction with visible anger across his face.

Reacting to the incident, manager Josep Guardiola was furious and deemed the act unacceptable. Speaking about it, Pep stated, “It is not right that these sort of things can happen.” This wasn’t the only controversy of the game as Samuel Eto’o was subject to racial abuse by the home fans.

Widely regarded as the greatest player of all time, Messi was still at the initial stage of his career at the time of the incident. The winger, however, was having a brilliant season under Pep Guardiola who was in his first year as the manager. Guardiola changed the style of play and altered Messi’s position to take the Argentine to further heights.

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Messi scored 38 goals and provided 19 assists in 51 appearances in all competitions that season. He played a pivotal role in Barcelona winning the treble for the first time in it’s history. They went on to win La Liga, Copa Del Rey, and the Champions League in Guardiola’s first season.

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How good was Lionel Messi under Pep Guardiola?

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Messi and Guardiola. Image credits: Instagram

Lionel Messi has played more matches and scored the most number of goals under Pep Guardiola in comparison to other managers that have coached him. The Argentine played 219 games under the Pep and scored a staggering 211 goals while also providing 97 assists.

In terms of silverware, Messi and Guardiola won 14 trophies together. The trophies also included two Champions League and three La Liga titles.

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As for individual awards, Messi won four consecutive Ballon d’Or’s under the Spaniard’s management. He became the first player in history to do so. He also broke the record for most goals in a calendar year when he netted 91 goals in 2012.

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