Lionel Messi gave his lucky bracelet to Coutinho: The Argentinian star made a brilliant gesture to his teammate ahead of the Sevilla game.
Barcelona registered an emphatic 6-1 victory over Sevilla in the second leg of the Copa del Rey, overturning a 0-2 deficit in style.
Philippe Coutinho opened the goalscoring for Barcelona with a penalty goal in the 13th minute and doubled his tally in the second half through an excellent header.
Lionel Messi won the penalty and was praised by fans and pundits alike for handing the ball to Coutinho who converted the spot-kick.
The Brazilian has had a torrid time in the last few months as his inconsistent form led to speculations over a move away from Barcelona.
It has now been revealed that Messi gave him his lucky ribbon before the game as well.
Messi gives Coutinho his lucky ribbon:
Messi received the ribbon from a reporter during the World Cup last year. In a touching story, the reporter gave Messi a red ribbon, stating it was sent by his mother.
The Argentinian star shocked the reporter after Argentina’s win against Nigeria when he showed the reporter that he wore the ribbon.
After struggling at Barça for the past months, Messi has yesterday handed the good luck ribbon given to him by a reporter at the World Cup to Coutinho and gave him his penalty as well to help him regain his form and score a brace. The type of leader every team needs. pic.twitter.com/fxPFaxYPJq
— Mootaz Chehade (@MHChehade) January 31, 2019
Leo Messi just handed Philippe Coutinho the penalty to put Barcelona 1-0 up in their Copa del Rey quarterfinal because he’s had a tough start to the season and needs a goal.
Imagine being that selfless while still outscoring everyone else by a country mile 😂 pic.twitter.com/EHWRojt8qt
— Footy Accumulators (@FootyAccums) January 30, 2019
Messi opened the goalscoring in the game against Nigeria with a brilliant goal from a difficult angle.
And now, Messi gave the red ribbon to Philippe Coutinho ahead of the game against Sevilla in the Copa del Rey.
The player had been suffering from an inconsistent form and was speculated with a move away from Barcelona in the January transfer window.
Barcelona secured a thunderous 6-1 victory, with Messi also scoring in the game. The Barca captain scored with a brilliant team goal towards the end of the match.
Messi doing to Coutinho what he did with Neymar.. giving them penalties to boost their confidence. Leadership isn’t only done by speaking loudly, but by those small details that go a long way
— Jad Mbarak (@JadMbarak7) January 30, 2019
Valverde (post-game): “Messi gave the penalty to Coutinho because he needed it, and Coutinho took the responsibility to take it.” pic.twitter.com/meyBBaP8v4
— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) January 30, 2019
Messi, captain and regular penalty taker, lets a low on confidence Coutinho take it to boos his moral, and scores. My leader.
— J. (@Messilizer) January 30, 2019
What next?
Barcelona are currently at the top of the league and will be back in action on the weekend as they take on Valencia.
In the Copa del Rey, Barca are drawn with arch-rivals Real Madrid. The first leg will be played on February 6 at Camp Nou.
