Real Betis fan shun defeat to hail rampaging Messi

Real Betis fans chanted Lionel Messi’s name and gave him a standing ovation even as his sublime hat-trick sank their team their team 4-1 on Sunday.

The chant of ‘Messi, Messi’ echoed around the stadium as it has so many times before but this was not the Camp Nou and it wasn’t only Barcelona’s small contingent of travelling supporters paying homage to the Argentinian.

Betis supporters in the Benito Villamarin had just watched Messi score a hat-trick to destroy their team and all but wrap up the league for Barcelona, and what else could they do but join in the praise?

Nostalgic old footballer supporters, of all club colours, will one day tell their grandchildren – once there was a player for whom being awarded a free-kick was just like being given a penalty.

Messi scored his first goal of the night with his fifth direct free-kick of the season. He then scored his second from Luis Suarez’ pass and chipped in a third in a 4-1 win that leaves Barcelona 10 points clear of the field with 10 games left.

It was Messi’s 27th, 28th and 29th goals of the season as Barcelona cruised over this potential speed bump on the straight flat road that will surely now lead to the title.

By the time they play that first leg against Manchester United in the Champions League last eight next month it could be done and dusted domestically.

Messi’s free-kick goal came on 18 minutes after Arthur Melo was awarded a debatable foul on the edge of the Betis are Betis had four men in the wall plus a fifth player lying down behind the wall in case Messi tried to roll it in.

Instead he curled it left footed into the top left-hand corner of Pau Lopez’ goal. It was his 25th free-kick goal in La Liga in the last eight seasons.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos and Ronaldinho all had great set-piece strike rates but he leaves them all a long way behind.