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Barcelona, Messi: 'Nothing like this ever happened to me.’

Barcelona, Messi: 'Nothing like this ever happened to me.’

Lionel Messi never ceases to amaze. After leading Barcelona to the Champions League quarter-finals, he is now leading the team to the La Liga title. Yesterday against Real Betis he scored one of the greatest hat-tricks of recent years. When his third goal went, and he sealed all three points for Barca, the whole crowd stood to applaud the Argentine maestro. Shortly afterwards a chant of 'Messi, Messi, Messi' could be heard ringing out throughout the ground.

It was a show of great sportsmanship from the home fans, reminiscent of the Juve fans applauding Cristiano Ronaldo’s overhead kick last year. At the end of the match, Messi declared “I had never happened to receive an ovation like that from an opposing fan, I thank them from my heart."