Lionel Messi must go to Real Madrid to prove himself as best, asserts Hugo Gatti

Barcelona wizard Lionel Messi produced a spectacular performance in Barcelona's 5-1 win against Real Valladolid on Tuesday. The Argentine scored a brace including a spectacular free-kick and assisted another two. The free-kick goal in the first half was the 50th free-kick goal of his career, a feat no one has ever achieved. Messi also surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo in record club goals, with the Barcelona captain scoring 608 goals in 695 games. Despite these accolades, his compatriot, Hugo Gatti isn’t convinced that Messi can do the same things against big clubs, as reported by Marca. 

“It seems as if I am anti-Argentine, but until Messi plays in the big games, he will continue to be a player of home games. He has to have balls to go to Real Madrid and prove everything there like Cristiano [Ronaldo did]. Otherwise, he will be just one more . Cristiano went to the best club in the world. Messi plays at home, on his pitch with everything [that comes with that in terms of home comforts].

“Let him play in the Champions League and the World Cup, otherwise he will always be one more. When he plays there, he will fight with Cruyff, Maradona and Pele. Messi plays when they let him play. It's very easy to play with everything in your favour at home,” Gatti told the TV show 'El Chiringuito de Jugones'.

In La Liga, Barcelona maintains their top spot with 22 points but lead rivals Real Madrid by a single point. The Catalan club now travel to Valencia to face Levante at Ciutat de Valencia on Saturday.