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WATCH: How Lionel Messi Reacted When He Was Pushed Over vs Sporting Is Brilliant

WATCH: How Lionel Messi Reacted When He Was Pushed Over vs Sporting Is Brilliant

Plenty would complain to the referee after being shoved over, but not Lionel Messi...

Jack Kenmare

Jack Kenmare

From the depths of League Two to the glitz and glamour of La Liga, we see shameful diving and desperate pleas to referees on a weekly basis.

It saddens me to say this but, it has become a regular occurrence in football.

That being said, during Barcelona's Champions League group stage tie against Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday night, Lionel Messi defied the diving stereotype and rather than complain to a referee, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner did something rather special.

Messi, who made his 593rd Barcelona appearance tonight - tying him third with Carles Puyol on the club's all-time list, produced a sublime piece of skill after being pushed to the ground by a Sporting CP player.

He never complained to the referee, neither did he roll on the floor like he'd just stood on a wandering plug.

Take note to all you divers out there:

Lionel Messi has shattered so many records in his career that the only ones left to break are the ones he's already set.

The five time Ballon d'Or winner has already hit 12 goals in just eight games in all competitions, this season, including four against Eibar during Barcelona's 6-1 victory at the Camp Nou, two nights ago.

Nine of those 12 strikes have come in La Liga, where Messi has scored the same amount of goals as European and Spanish champions Real Madrid's entire team have managed altogether.

The nine goals Messi has scored in the opening five rounds of the Spanish league campaign means the Argentinean forward is currently averaging 1.8 goals a game, which leaves him on course to score an eye watering 68 league goals, this season.

The current record for most goals in a single La Liga campaign is currently 50, set by Messi during the 2011/12 season, which came hot on the heels of Cristiano Ronaldo's initial record breaking effort of 40 in the 2010/11 season.

What a player.

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Topics:Β Barcelona, Messi