Lionel Messi might not decide matches as often as he once did for Barcelona, but the Catalans' captain is still capable of settling games single-handedly, even this season.
The Argentine, more than anyone, is able to win a final with a single moment of inspiration, and few teams know that better than Athletic Club do, who take on Barcelona in this weekend's Copa del Rey final.
Messi has been a nightmare for the Basques in Copa del Rey finals. Since his arrival in Spain, Barcelona have met Athletic in three such games. In each of those, Messi has made a difference.
Perhaps his standout performance came in the 2015 final at the Camp Nou, in which he scored a stunning goal after leaving four Athletic defenders for dead, helping Barcelona to a 3-1 win.
A devastating record
Looking at numbers alone, Messi's record against Athletic shows how decisive he can be. In three finals against them, he has scored four goals and assisted one more, and nobody has done more damage to the Basque side than he has.
In 40 matches against them in all competitions, the No.10 has 26 goals and seven assists.
That said, Athletic will look to the Supercopa de Espana final this year as a source of inspiration. Then, they managed to keep him quiet, win late and get Messi sent off for the only red card in his Barcelona career.
Messi, though, will undoubtedly be keen to get his revenge.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com