Lionel Messi scored his own 'hand of god' goal on day Barca lost the title in 18 seconds

Lionel Messi has faced similarities with Diego Maradona throughout his career due to his playing style, nationality and ability to perform at a level above the rest of the elite.

Yet Maradona’s most famous goal was his ‘Hand of God’ effort against England at the 1986 World Cup, when he punched the ball past Three Lions goalkeeper Peter Shilton in one of sport’s most iconic moments. 21 years later, Messi scored in similar fashion in one of the most dramatic days in La Liga.

Going into the penultimate round of matches, the title could go either to Barcelona, Real Madrid or Sevilla. Madrid led the way by virtue of their superior head-to-head record, but everything hung in the balance as Los Blancos faced a tough trip to Real Zaragoza as Barca hosted Catalan rivals Espanyol, with Sevilla away at Real Mallorca.

It was to be a day of unparalleled drama; Raul Tamudo gave Espanyol a shock lead at Camp Nou before Diego Militao netted from the penalty spot for Zaragoza against Real Madrid. Both teams were in danger of throwing away the title – Sevilla, beset by multiple injuries and fatigue, were still being held at Mallorca.

Four minutes before half-time, Barca equalised. In a time before VAR, these were the sort of moments of huge injustice which would go relatively unchecked. A typically flowing Barca move culminated in Xavi Hernandez’s low delivery from the right which deflected off an Espanyol defender and into the path of Messi to guide the ball past visiting goalkeeper Carlos Kameni.

Despite Messi moving his head towards the ball, replays definitively showed that he used his hand to touch the ball into the net and beat Kameni’s arm, which had been set to punch the ball away. It sparked furious protests from Espanyol, but