Lionel Messi's 'Magic Goal' Shows Why Football is Indeed an Art

He commands a gigantic fan following and it is quite easy to see why. What isn't easy though is to score like a magician but that's exactly what Lionel Messi did against Athletic Bilbao to help Barcelona win the Copa del Rey for the 27th time this Saturday.

In front of a packed Camp Nou where the opposition commanded two-thirds of the fan base, Messi slammed two goals to help Barca register a 3-1 triumph. Scoring goals is not new for the Argentine, neither is scoring them from improbable angles. It is the artistic precision with which he does that makes football a delight to watch. One of the best examples of Messi at work was when he dribbled past four Athletic players to slam a low finish to put his team in the lead on Saturday. Even by the Argentine's incredibly high standards, the move and finish was as good as any of his previous 410 Barca goals.It was a testament to why this player is considered one of the best in the world and why he - despite several younger talents grabbing the football limelight around the world - remains the undisputed king for his fans.

While Neymar then doubled Barcelona's lead, Messi slammed a second 17 minutes from time - a more 'mortal goal' than the one seen before. Such was the dominance, the class and the skill of the player that even Athletic coach Ernesto Valverde was left more impressed than disappointed. "His first goal was incredible," he said after the match. "He is a player that we always say appears in the most decisive moments and obviously he wasn't going to miss out in a final."