Simeone: We’d have won with Messi on our side

Atletico Madrid’s Argentine coach Diego Simeone said that had Lionel Messi been a Atletico player, his side would have won the league match against Barca.

Messi has been in incredible free-kick scoring form lately, scoring thrice in the last three games from a dead ball situation. Last night against Atleti, he curled one over the wall towards the far-left corner of goalkeeper Jan Oblak. It was a stunning free-kick and it brought up the Argentine’s 600th career goal and was crucial to Barca’s La Liga bid.

"If we put Messi in one of our shirts, we would have won, he's a different player," said Simeone. Barca coach Ernesto Valverde was asked to comment on Simeone’s claim. The Barca coach was scared of what might have happened if Messi was not a Barca player.

"Messi is a player like no other in the world. I do not know what would have happened and I do not want to imagine it."

Messi had in the previous two games scored with brilliant free-kicks. He scored with a magical under-the-wall free-kick against Girona before his left foot did the trick against Las Palmas as he bamboozled the keeper with a rocket-like free-kick that beat the goalie at his near-post.

Simeone thought that the Barca number 10 did the damage and felt that the match was similar to the one where Atletico drew Barca 1-1 at home in the first league meeting between the two sides this season.

"It was a very similar game to the first one. They had more possession in the first half, and in the second we reacted after playing our cards, but unfortunately couldn't get the draw,” Simeone opined