Lionel Messi’s doggedness doesn’t get enough credit.
The frequency with which he ends up on the turf is more proof of the tendency of defenders to do everything in their power to haul him down rather than any suggestion that Messi goes down easily.
In Sunday evening’s El Clasico, we witnessed one of Messi’s greatest games in a Barcelona jersey and it was not just his contribution to the scoresheet that impressed.
Messi’s grittiness and determination to return to his feet after each and every one of the fouls committed against him also earned significant praise from fans.
If it ain't broke… https://t.co/KNlmddt9pR
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) April 24, 2017
The Argentine was bloodied badly in a first half clash with Real Madrid left-back Marcelo, who landed an elbow flush to Messi’s mouth midway through the opening 45.
Messi held a tissue to his mouth in an attempt to stop the bleeding and found the net shortly after shaking the cobwebs loose.
#RealBarca La gomitata di #Marcelo a #Messi #ElClasico #ElClasicoNight #RealMadrid #Barcelona #LaLiga pic.twitter.com/ExetcuIWdK
— Carlo Fiaschetti⚫️🔵 (@CarloFiaschetti) April 23, 2017
The 29-year-old looked to be as good as new after the half-time break as he made his way back from the dressing room but then, all of a sudden, Messi appeared to part ways with a tooth.
Something in his mouth was clearly bothering him as he prepared to return to the Bernabeu pitch before Messi seemed to spit a tooth onto the steps.
He then appeared to check his mouth for further bleeding, as you can see in the below footage.
The Sun reports that Messi will require dental surgery after the incident but the lack of one little tooth didn’t seem to do anything to slow the superstar down as he went on to score the match-winning goal with the last kick of the game.
Teeth are overrated anyway.
