Lionel Messi Selflessly Gives Up Hat-Trick To Let Antoine Griezmann Score In Remarkable Gesture

Lionel Messi turned down the chance to grab his first hat-trick in over a year for Barcelona - by letting Antoine Griezmann take a 90th minute penalty.

The Argentine superstar scored twice in Barcelona's 5-2 victory over Getafe on Thursday night and he dominated throughout.

It was a performance worthy of a hat-trick and many thought he'd step up for a late penalty.

However, he decided to let Griezmann step up and smash past David Soria to seal an emphatic victory.

Griezmann had missed a number of chances in the contest and looked ecstatic to finally grab a goal of his own.

Cameras caught the Frenchman approaching Messi and giving him a hug in heartwarming scenes.

Fans have reacted to Messi's act and they believe he's shown true leadership in helping a struggling teammate.

Messi opened the scoring inside eight minutes before a Clement Lenglet own goal brought the visitors level.

A bizarre own goal from Sofian Chakla then put Barca ahead once again before Messi grabbed the second of his game just past the half hour mark.

Enes Unal scored a penalty to make it 3-2, but Ronald Araujo's header made it 4-2 before Griezmann's penalty sealed victory.

Ronald Koeman's side now sit on 68 points, just five behind La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid with a game in hand.