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Lionel Messi Displays Superb Sportsmanship By Telling Ref Not To Give Penalty
Lionel Messi came up with a brilliant bit of sportsmanship in Barcelona's win over Rayo Vallecano at the weekend.
The Argentine showed his class by telling the referee not to award a penalty kick in his favour following one his signature slaloming runs in the box.
He rinsed two players with his fancy footwork but the third got his body in front and stopped Messi in his tracks. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner stumbled to the floor after losing his balance but the referee asked for a VAR review on the incident.
However, Messi immediately told him that he was not fouled and play continued. Twitter users hailed Messi for his superb sportsmanship:
Lionel Messi has so much respect for the game of football. Here, he tells the referee there was no penalty. :clap::goat: pic.twitter.com/27Z3WOzLNo
- (@MahaXVIII) March 11, 2019
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Messi lost his balance in the GK's area after a bump in with a defender.
- Marathi Gooner (@kvraj1015) March 11, 2019
After his fall, the Barça players were asking the ref for a penalty.
The ref asked for a VAR revision, however, Messi told him he wasn't fouled and asked for the match to be resumed.
My idol#Messi pic.twitter.com/iCM3JGzkFM
In yesterday's match, Messi lost his balance in the GK's area after a bump in with a defender.
- La Senyera (@LaSenyera) March 10, 2019
After his fall, the Barça players were asking the ref for a penalty.
The ref asked for a VAR revision, however, Messi told him he wasn't fouled and asked for the match to be resumed. pic.twitter.com/4mMRWqyPsJ
Messi would then go on to supply an assist as well as converting a penalty in a 3-1 win which took them seven points clear at the top of La Liga.
The 31-year old now has 26 goals and 12 assists in La Liga, making him the top goalscorer and assister in Europe's top five leagues by quite some distance.
10 - @FCBarcelona's Lionel Messi is the top scorer (26 goals) and the top assister (12 assists) in the top five European leagues this season. Star. pic.twitter.com/S1qsjOPmt4
- OptaJose (@OptaJose) March 9, 2019
Topics: Football News, Nou Camp, FC Barcelona, Football, Messi, Lionel Messi, Penalty, Video Assistant Referee, VAR