Messi Receives First Red Card Of His Barcelona Career
Lionel Messi was shown the first red card of his Barcelona career as they lost to Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish Super Cup final
Lionel Messi could face a ban after receiving his first red card in his club football career for Barcelona as his team lost to Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish Super Cup final.
Lionel Messi who has been featured in over 750 games for Barcelona, was shown the first red card of his Barcelona career in the closing stages of the match as they lost 3-2 to Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish Super Cup on Sunday.
Messi, who returned to the starting line-up after missing the semi-final victory over Real Sociedad through injury, was dismissed after striking Asier Villalibre in the final minute.
After this event, ‘Messi’ and ‘Barca’ were seen trending in the top ten Twitter trends in Pakistan.
The Barca captain can now face a possible extended ban that can restrain him from playing at LaLiga.
The disciplinary committee of the Spanish FA (RFEF) will have the final call on the length of his suspension.
He could now be banned for at least four domestic games, with Super Cup suspensions carrying over to league and cup matches.
Near the end of the Spanish Super Cup final, Messi played a pass and took a swing at Asier Villalibre as the Athletic forward ran across his path.
The game in Seville was set to be remembered as an entertaining encounter and for Athletic’s second trophy from 1985 until the red card was issued.
Last year, Captain Lionel Messi told Barcelona he wishes to leave the club immediately, he had sent the club a document expressing his desire to leave.
Barcelona on the other hand doesn’t want Messi to leave, it wants him to stay and finish his career at the club.
The dispute centers around a clause in Messi’s contract.
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Under the terms of the contract, which expires in 2021, the only way Messi can leave is if a rival side pays his release clause of 700 million euros ($828m) which is a very high amount that many clubs cannot afford.
It is speculated that perhaps Messi’s frustration at not being able to leave the club was seen during the game with the player receiving the first red card.
