Some shook their heads in disbelief. Others applauded. Then they stood. They raised their arms, before lowering them in a 'we’re not worthy' gesture. And they chanted his name. “Messiiii, Messiiii, Messiii…”
Such a reaction is not unusual when Lionel Messi does something superhuman.
But this was not Camp Nou and these were not Barcelona fans; this was the Benito Villamarin and it was the Real Betis faithful lauding Leo.
The ultimate show of respect. And it was fully deserved, too: Messi has twice visited Seville this season and on each occasion he has walked away with the match ball, the Andalusian capital the scene for two quite beautiful hat-tricks.
“In this world, perhaps we would have won the game,” Sevilla striker Wissam Ben Yedder tweeted after Messi’s magnificent triple at the Sanchez Pizjuan saw the Catalans claim a 4-2 win last month. “But there was a player from another planet who wanted things to be different…”
Back in Seville on Sunday night, Messi brought his box of intergalactic tricks once again.
First up was a fabulous free-kick bent from left to right, sailing over Gerard Pique’s head and curving past Pau Lopez into the corner the goalkeeper was supposed to be protecting. He had no chance.
It was a moment of genius, yet the Argentine has spoilt us all. He has racked up 25 free-kick goals in La Liga now over the past eight seasons, which is one more than Real Madrid in that time. This may have been one of the best, but in a way it was nothing new. Not for Messi.
Amid such systematic supremacy, reactions to Leo have become blasé. His standards are higher than anyone else’s and as such, he is judged differently. Luckily, though, he was only warming up.
His second goal was another fine finish. The Argentine sprinted forward and latched onto a wonderful back-heeled pass from Luis Suarez. Pursued by three Betis defenders, he was faster, slicker; and he flicked the ball effortlessly into the corner.
But it is the mark of a true entertainer to save the best until last. And Messi’s encore was extra-special, even by his standards. With five minutes left, the Argentine drifted into space on the edge of the box.
Ivan Rakitic spotted him there and laid the ball across. Leo continued his run into the area and without any back lift, he chipped a delightful lob which arced over Pau and dropped down, bouncing off the crossbar and in.
The goalkeeper had barely been off his line and will wonder how he was beaten. Meanwhile, Sergi Roberto and Clement Lenglet held their heads. So too did Marc Bartra. They could hardly believe what they had seen. Nobody could.
Messi peeled away and was met by Rakitic and Suarez for a celebratory embrace. In the stands, the home fans paid tribute to the world’s finest footballer. There is, after all, no shame in losing like that. And they had been privileged to witness a genius at work.
“I don’t remember (a rival player being applauded like that) and I’m very grateful with the reaction of the fans,” a humble Messi told the television cameras straight after the match.
Barca, as ever, are lucky to have him. “There is nobody like him,” Gerard Pique said. “He is a special footballer who has been doing it for 12, 13, 14 years.”
“We are proud to have him,” Sergio Busquets added. “He doesn’t surprise us because we are lucky enough to see him in every training session.” And Rakitic joked: “At least I got to appear in the photo [after the Argentine's third goal]!”
Betis boss Quique Setien went even further in his praise. “I have never seen a player like Messi in the whole of history,” he said. “He has been doing it for 10 or 12 years. I don’t know if even Pele was that consistent. He’s a luxury.”
And Barca coach Ernesto Valverde said: “The ovation for Messi was wonderful. The rival fans suffer with Leo’s play, but their reaction is recognition for his football and for what he does every single Sunday.
“I have seen him score goals of all types and we are fortunate to be part of this era in which he is active.”
That applies to Valverde, to Barcelona’s players, their fans, and as Betis support showed on Sunday, to all of us.
The win saw Barca move 10 points clear at the top of the table and Catalan paper Sport led with a photo of Messi on their front cover on Monday and the headline: “La Liga has only one owner.”
Meanwhile, Mundo Deportivo hailed “Barca’s 10”, in a reference to Messi’s magic and also the team’s lead in the league after 28 rounds of matches.
After the ovation, the Argentine almost scored a fourth, too, as he hit the post from close range and the ball ran across the face of goal. But he had done more than enough and even though there have been many memorable nights, this one will be right up there near the top of the list.
Messi now has 477 wins as a Barca player, surpassing Xavi’s record, with so many of those victories */ – just like this one – inspired by the Argentine himself. And the triple at Betis was his 51st career hat-trick, taking him to 591 goals for the Catalan club.
There is, as Setien and Pique both agreed, nobody like him. There may never be again. And after the brilliant Betis fans afforded him the ultimate tribute on Sunday, expect more stadiums to follow suit in future. He deserves it.
