Unseen Footage Of Lionel Messi's Inspirational Performance Vs Granada Proves He's An Incredible Leader

Footage of Lionel Messi urging Barcelona to victory vs Granada has emerged - showing he's just as influential without the ball.

The six-time Ballon d'Or winner inspired his side to a 5-3 victory in the Copa del Rey quarter-final despite being 2-0 down.

While many have praised Messi for his performance in terms of on the ball, not many have discussed it off the ball.

El Chiringuito TV have shown Messi urging his team to keep their heads and calm down in high pressure moments.

Often criticised for not showing enough personality, the Argentine superstar clearly had authority among his peers.

He also celebrated goals passionately and wasn't afraid to tell his teammates what to do.

A pundit can be heard saying: "For anyone who says Messi isn't a leader, look at this.

"Messi lead the team throughout the match and lead the huddle at the end of regulation"

Fans have reacted to the footage and they think Messi deserves more respect when it comes to leading a team.

One fan said: "Love seeing him finally show a captain's swagger."

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Another added: "I absolutely love the way [Ronald] Koeman let Messi give the talk. I'm sure the greatest to ever play the game can have essential outlooks on the match."

While a third stated: "And they tell him he's not a leader!!!"

Former Blaugrana teammate Arthur recently admitted Messi's leadership qualities tend to go under the radar.

Arthur currently plays with Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus and thinks he is 'more active' than Messi.

"Cristiano Ronaldo expresses himself more than Messi and he gets on with everyone in the dressing room," the 24-year-old told Desimpedidos.

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"He's very active in the dressing room. He talks to everyone and has a good relationship with everyone.

"Each person has their own way of demonstrating leadership. Messi does it with actions, as much as it seems he doesn't.

"He demonstrates it when he receives the ball, with his will to win the game and all his teammates notice this."

Messi only registered one assist in Wednesday evening's game but was one of Barcelona's best performers.

The Copa del Rey semi-final draw takes place on Friday afternoon.

Topics: Football News, Football, Barcelona, Lionel Messi, Copa del Rey

Daniel Marland

Daniel is a journalist for SPORTbible and he has previous experience with Manchester United. He has spoken to some of the biggest names in sport including Rio Ferdinand, Peter Crouch, WWE COO Triple H and WWE legend The Undertaker. May or may not do a decent impression of Jamie Carragher.

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