Lionel Messi has made it a habit of scoring in almost every match for Barcelona that it is becoming increasingly surprising that he has scored just once in 2014, while he also went on a run of numerous matches without scoring a single league goal.
He has come in for criticism recently after sustaining numerous injuries this campaign. Manager Gerardo Martino has left it to his defence by saying that the Argentine has not taken well to the criticism from the media. He says that Messi is under immense pressure due to the recent talk about lack of goals.
He recently scored from the penalty spot against Valencia, but his first open goal in the league since September arrived in the 4-1 victory over Sevilla. The 26-year-old also lost his crown as the best player in the world to his rival Cristiano Ronaldo. He had won the FIFA Ballon d’Or award for the first four years in succession, but this year's award has been given to Ronaldo. After the match, Martino said that the negative comments are certainly affecting Messi's pride. Sevilla have been the third highest team to suffer from Messi, as he has scored 14 goals against them.
Now that Messi has found the back of the net in the league once again, Martino is hoping that he would go on another run.
"Those that are negative do not realise they are affecting his pride. When you do that to the best player in the world, this is what happens," said Martino.
Meanwhile, midfielder Andres Iniesta also came to his defence by saying that Messi's quality will always shine through. "Leo never goes missing, he is one of the few players in the world that in a few seconds or in a few metres can turn a game. He does it all the time and he did it again against Sevilla," said Iniesta.