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After passing the ball through the left wing, Messi swinged his right arm in the head of Athletic striker Asier Villalibre as he ran to the surface. Villalibre fell to the ground and after a video review, Messi won his first red card in 753 appearances with Barcelona’s main team.
Messi had been sent off twice while playing for the Argentine national team, adding seconds after his debut in a friendly against Hungary in 2005; the other time in the 2019 Copa América in a clash against Chile. game for the “B” team in Barcelona.
Referee Gil Manzano said in his adjustment report that Messi hit his opponent with “excessive force” while the ball was not near him.
Messi will miss Barcelona’s attack on 3rd-quarter Cornell in the Copa del Rey and Elche in the Spanish league. The attack was already expected to be lost to Cornell with coach Ronald Koeman looking to keep Messi’s minutes below to avoid serious injury.
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Messi had been reluctant to play in the Spanish Super Cup final due to an uns specified physical challenge that had led Koeman to leave him out of the semi-final against Real Sociedad on Wednesday, when Barcelona won a penalty shootout.
Messi, who asked to leave the club in low season but was denied his request, is enjoying a mid-season compared to previous years, with 14 goals in 22 games and far from being at his best on Sunday despite attending to identify the team’s first goal.