Barcelona took a heavy gamble on Monday flirting with the possibility of captain Lionel Messi being suspended for the El Clasico next weekend as he was already sitting on a yellow card from their previous match and had to be extra vigilant not to pick up another one against Real Valladolid.
The Barca talisman managed to come away unscathed but not after venting his disbelief that the referee was actually on a mission to flash him a card.
Barcelona face bitter rivals Real Madrid this weekend in a match that could determine this season’s La Liga champions. The Argentine would have been ruled out if he had picked up a yellow card, and Marca reports that Messi claims referee Santiago Jaime Latre was looking for a way to book him.
The referee wants to give me a yellow card, incredible,” Messi reportedly told club delegate Carles Naval during the half-time break.
Fortunately for him and the club, that card never came. Instead, it was Real Valladolid’s Oscar Plano who was shown a straight red in the second half.
Ousmane Dembele eventually scored a late winner for Barcelona in the dramatic final minute of regulation time.
Although both sides had their chances, Valladolid will no doubt feel robbed after an apparent handball by Jordi Alba in the 65th minute nbut no penalty was given, and all three points were eventually taken home by the Catalans.
Barcelona are now just one point behind Atletico Madrid at the top of the table and face a must-win match against Real Madrid who are just a further two points behind.
Winning the El Clasico would bequeath them a chance to win the titl, provided they can also beat Atletico next month, besides making sure they don’t drop any more points for the rest of the season.
A La Liga title will surely boost their hopes of convincing Lionel Messi to stay, and that will be weighing down on the minds of all the players and club management in the coming crucial weeks.