Lionel Messi's stay at Barcelona is seemingly getting tougher. On Saturday, his side lost narrowly to Real Madrid 1-2 during the 2020-21 La Liga's El Clasico at the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid.
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It all started with Karim Benzema opening the scoring for the host in the 13th minute, while Toni Kroos doubled it in the 28th. The second half saw a bit of intensity from the visitor, with Oscar Mingueza pulling one back in the 60th minute.
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However, the performance was not enough to help Barca secure even a draw, as it lost 1-2. Also, Madrid's Casemiro being sent off in the 90th minute was still not enough for the visitor to make a comeback.
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While Messi failed to score in the entire game, he scripted an unwanted record. It has been more than 1,000 days since Messi last managed to score against Madrid, which is his longest goal drought against a particular side in his career so far.
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Meanwhile, Benzema joined three other greats to score for Madrid in seven successive El Clasicos. The others happen to be Ruud van Nistelrooy, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale.
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Before the game, rumours were high that Messi could be playing his last El Clasico. It comes after almost a year of speculation that the Argentine legend could be on his way out of Camp Nou.
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Least to say, Barca's recent El Clasico defeat, followed by Messi's prolonged goal drought and inconsistency, is indeed building pressure on him. He could well be on his way out at the season-end, with his contract with the Catalan ending at the same time, with Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain constantly monitoring his situation.
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