Messi floors teammates in Barca training

The Daily Star  May 27, 2020

Star Online Report

It hasn’t taken Lionel Messi long to get into gear as Barcelona started group sessions following individual training and small group exercises.

The Barcelona legend, like the majority of sport stars across the globe, has been out of action for close to three months amid the coronavirus pandemic. While his Instagram account had strangely disappeared last night, Messi was the centre of attraction at training.

The Spanish champions have uploaded a clip on Twitter from their training session on Tuesday, which shows the Argentinian superstar dazzling his team-mates with a superb piece of skill.

He first tracks back and dispossesses Riqui Puig as the 20-year-old midfield prospect races through on goal, before playing a one-two with Sergio Busquets that releases him in the opposite box.

After playing a one-two with Sergio Busquets, he is then released in the box and pushed wide by Marc-Andre Ter Stegen.

Marc-Andre Ter Stegen pushes him wide, but Messi flicks the ball past two defenders and into the feet of Jordi Alba, who subsequently tees him up in front of goal.

Instead of finishing the chance first time, though, he decides to leave Ter Stegen crawling around on the floor, dribbling past the goalkeeper and letting him get close again before tucking the ball in the bottom corner.

It was a majestic bit of trickery from Messi, who looks in terrific form ahead of a potential return to action next month.

His last outing came in the Catalans’ 1-0 win over Real Sociedad on 7 March, with Spain’s top-flight being put on hold two weeks later.

Barca were able to return to training on 9 May, however, as La Liga gears up for a potential behind-closed-doors return in June.