Lionel Messi Poses with 4 Ballon d'Or Awards Before FC Barcelona Kickoff (Video)
In case we forgot, FC Barcelona presented us with a visually striking reminder Wednesday night.
The message: Lionel Messi is good at football. Like, really, really, really good.
The reminder: Ballon d'Or awards. Lots and lots of them.
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Fresh off his latest Ballon d'Or win less than two weeks ago, Messi posed with all four of his golden ball trophies before kickoff of Barcelona's Copa del Rey quarterfinal match against Mรกlaga on Wednesday.
According to FCBarcelona.com, Messi wanted to "share his awards with the Barรงa fans." The move was reportedly a surprise, but it was probably hard to miss those four gleaming golden balls on the edge of the pitch just seconds before kickoff.
The match itself ended in a 2-2 draw at Camp Nou, but as usual the main attraction was the little Argentine magician.
On the field, Barcelona overturned a 1-0 deficit to take a 2-1 lead, only for Mรกlaga to equalize late on despite being a man down. Messi scored (of course) and Barรงa's Alexis Sanchez missed a clear chance that might have put away the match.
"In the first half we played well. We could have scored more goals but it wasnโt meant to be," said Barcelona defender Carles Puyol (via FCBarcelona.com). "Now we have to go there and win.โ
Javier Mascherano added: โWe shouldnโt go crazy about this, rather we just need to go to Mรกlaga and win the game. This team has shown that it can win in any stadium."
The second leg is scheduled for Jan. 24 at Mรกlaga's La Rosaleda.
(Video: FC Barcelona)
