Barcelona magician Messi overjoyed to beat Real Madrid in their own den and achieve unique milestone en route
Lionel Messi
Barcelona's Lionel Messi is ecstatic after scoring against Real Madrid on Sunday. Pics/AFP
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Madrid: Lionel Messi yesterday hailed Barcelona's dramatic 3-2 Clasico victory over arch-rivals Real Madrid as an "important step" in the race for the La Liga title. Messi's last-gasp goal marked his 500th for Barcelona and blew the La Liga title race wide open at Real Madrid on Sunday.
Lionel Messi
Victory takes Barca top of the table thanks to their better head-to-head record with both sides locked on 75 points, but Madrid have a game in hand. "We went to the Bernabeu to win and to continue to fight for La Liga," the five-time Ballon d'Or winner said on his Facebook page. "There is still a long way to go, but we left with the joy of having taken an important step," added Messi, the top scorer in La Liga with 31 goals, alongside a photo of himself celebrating one of his goals.
Barcelona are bidding for a third straight La Liga and Spanish Cup double. They play Alaves in the Cup final on May 27.
Messi struck his 500th Barcelona goal with almost the last kick of the game at the Bernabeu on Sunday. He first broke a three-year goalless drought against Madrid when he cancelled out Casemiro's opener for the hosts in the first-half. Ivan Rakitic's stunning strike and a red card for Madrid captain Sergio Ramos for chopping down Messi 13 minutes from time put Barca on course for victory before James Rodriguez came off the bench to level four minutes from time. However, fittingly, Messi had the final say with a brilliant finish deep into stoppage time.
"He is the best player for me in history and I have seen a lot of football," said Barca boss Luis Enrique as he celebrated victory in his final Clasico in charge. "In modern football when everyone is tactically and physically better he still makes the difference. The fact he has scored his 500th goal shows all of us as Barca fans are lucky to have him identified with the club."
Messi's strike partner Luis Suarez was also lavish in his praise for the Argentine. "It's time to enjoy beating a direct opponent, Madrid. It's time to enjoy the best player in the world and of all time. He keeps showing that in the most important games, which is when you really see him. It's admirable," Suarez was quoted on Barcelona' official website.
Barca captain Andres Iniesta added: "The great thing about Leo is that he never stops surprising you. After so many years, he continues to be the difference. For us, it's a honour and a blessing for the club."
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