Lionel Messi was still celebrating his equalizer after coming off the bench for Barcelona when Sergio Busquets handed him the captain's armband. Once again, Messi had come to the rescue of his grateful teammates. Messi showed why Barcelona agreed to keep him an extremely rich man when on Sunday he acted as Ronald Koeman's super sub, scoring one goal and setting up another to help Barcelona earn a 3-2 win at Real Betis.

Youngster Francisco Trincão shared in the victory by clinching the thriller with his first goal for the club that he scored with three minutes to go. "In half an hour, Messi demonstrated what a vital player he is for this team," Koeman said. "Messi has shown for years that he is the best player in the world, above all for the creativity he displays in the final meters." Barcelona's sixth league win in a row lifted it back into second place at seven points behind Spanish league leader Atlético Madrid, which has two more games to play. It hosts Celta Vigo on Monday.