Barcelona boss Luis Enrique has claimed that Lionel Messi is "always decisive, even when he's at home having dinner" after the Argentine helped his team record a 3-2 victory at Real Madrid in Sunday night's El Clasico.
Messi scored his 499th and 500th goals in Barcelona colours during the La Liga fixture as the reigning Spanish champions came from behind to secure a last-gasp success in the Spanish capital.
Enrique has branded Messi "the best of all time", and hailed the 29-year-old for thriving in a deeper position behind Luis Suarez and Paco Alcacer.
"Messi? He's always decisive, even when he's at home having dinner. He's the best of all time, and I've seen many football videos," Enrique told reporters.
"Now, the players are better prepared on all levels and he can make the difference. His [second] goal was also his 500th and he's playing for an incredible club. Leo always creates superiority in the middle of the pitch and we want him to participate as much as possible.
"Perhaps in more central areas it's difficult because there's more density on our rivals' part, but he participated a lot. If you [reporters] want, we'll apologise for Messi deciding the game, which is why he's at Barca."
The victory has seen Barcelona move above Real Madrid to the top of La Liga, although Zinedine Zidane's side still have a game in hand over their rivals.
Matt Law
