Lionel Messi fine with Luis Enrique substitution despite Eibar "incident"
Luis Enrique made the wise decision to substitute Lionel Messi against Ajax on Tuesday night, despite the fuss that was caused when he considered doing the same against Eibar on Saturday.
He asked Messi if he wanted to come off against Basque Country minnows, but Barcelona's No 10 wanted to stay on.
However here he was hooked after 66 minutes, following a majestic performance, a goal and an assist.
Neymar too, had already made way, as Enrique looked to protect his star players ahead of Saturday's clash against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Messi looked happy enough to be substituted, applauding the fans in each stand of Camp Nou, who afforded him a standing ovation.
Messi said, when asked about it: "Subbed off? If the coach makes a decision, that's fine, he's in charge. The most important thing is the team."
