Lionel Messi infuriated Real Madrid fans with his actions for Barcelona in 2011

Lionel Messi isn’t exactly known for losing his rag.

The Paris Saint-Germain star is widely loved for his humble and unassuming demeanour, seldom ever strutting around with the type of arrogance that almost anyone would if they also happened to be one of the greatest sportspeople in history.

By the same token, Messi is rarely ever screaming down the ears of referees or throwing his hands up in protest every 10 seconds, adding to his status as a role model for aspiring young footballers.

However, having said that, it doesn’t mean that there aren’t exceptions to the rule because you might be thinking right now: ‘hold up a sec, I can think of plenty of times where Messi lost his composure.’

And whether that’s the 2019 Copa America defeat to Brazil or his red card in the 2021 Supercopa de España, even the most ardent of Messi fans would concede that the oft-calm and collected forward can snap from time to time.

But of all the occasions on which the red mist has descended for Messi, perhaps the most understandable came in the cauldron-like atmosphere of El Clasico.

In the early 2010s, the clashes between Barcelona and Real Madrid were the stuff of legend with both Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in their primes, while Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho sat in the dugouts.

Each and every time the two European giants went to war, you just knew that fireworks were guaranteed whether that be in the form of a legendary goal or, well, an entire pack of cards’ worth of sendings off.

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From Mourinho sinking his finger into Tito Vilanova’s eye to Sergio Ramos picking up a red card every ten seconds, you certainly couldn’t accuse those iconic encounters of