Lionel Messi produced an iconic El Clasico moment after Sergio Ramos tackle in 2010 | OneFootball

Highlights

Lionel Messi tormented Real Madrid so many times during his career at his former club Barcelona. As he did with many of the teams that blessed the Spanish top flight, though none felt as special when it wasn’t their arch-rivals.

The El Clasico had a different sort of feel to it, most notably because of Messi’s ever-flourishing derby with none other than Cristiano Ronaldo. Two legends of the game going toe-to-toe for their respective clubs – two of Europe’s greatest – in one of the biggest games in world football. It was like Christmas had come early.

Of course, with the aforementioned duo earning their corn in different continents, the heyday of their fierce rivalry is dying a slow death, though we cannot forget the famous El Clasico clashes that had us all glued to the TV screen.

To little surprise, the pint-sized Argentine scored a hell of a lot in the fixture. In fact, he has scored the most goals of any player in the derby’s history. One Clasico, in particular, that he will look back on with fondness came on November 29, 2010, when a clash with Real Madrid cult hero Sergio Ramos, one of the highest goalscoring defenders in the history of football, made the diminutive South American the coolest footballer on the planet.

Stats per Transfermarkt

The coldest moment of Lionel Messi’s career

While you may think it would be one of his mind-bending goals, mazy runs or a moment of genius, one of the ‘coldest’ moments of his illustrious career came by him simply walking – an aspect of his game that has been questioned over the years.

Enough of the discourse, let’s relive the iconic moment. Barcelona, figure headed by the magician himself, welcomed Jose Mourinho's side to the Blaugrana’s stomping ground, Camp Nou, for their clash in La Liga. In fine fashion, Barça enjoyed a 5-0 drubbing over the Madrid-based outfit. Having dominated almost the entirety of the match, the five-goal cushion flattered the visitors.

Goals from Xavi and Pedro allowed the hosts to go into the interval with a two-goal lead, which was only extended as the players emerged from the tunnel. Spanish forward David Villa grabbed a three-minute brace, before Jeffren Suarez added the cherry on top with a 91st-minute goal.

Surprisingly, Messi did not manage to get on the scoresheet on the night but, nevertheless, he put in a strong performance – vintage Lionel, eh? The best on the planet can have the biggest of impacts without scoring and Messi is part of that exclusive club. You may well be thinking how Messi stole the headlines if he failed to net? Well, it involves Ramos, who – as you will know – is infamous in the football circles for his hot-headed nature when taking to the pitch.

Overcome with frustration at his side’s performance and the subsequent result, the Spanish defender lost it with Messi in the dying embers of the clash. Sending the Argentine to the floor, Ramos, with the help from teammate Lassana Diarra, had Messi kicked from both sides.

A subsequent brawl spilled out between both sets of players and Ramos, the offender, was shown a straight red card for his challenge. Messi was on the ground for some time, but he got to his feet and strolled off the pitch. On his way to the touchline, he takes a look at the entire stadium, looking as cool as ice, before walking past his eternal rival, Ronaldo, who stares at him as he walks past.

The camera then pans to Mourinho, who looks glum, before the scoreboard is shown. A clip of the moment, posted on X (formerly Twitter), described Messi's walk as 'one of the coldest moments in La Liga history'. The video went viral, and you can watch it in all its glory below.

Watch: Messi's cool moment after Ramos' tackle

What a truly iconic moment. That really was El Clasico at its peak. There was drama aplenty during each and every encounter between two of football’s greatest forces and as expected, Messi and Ramos did not always see eye to eye on the pitch.

Sergio Ramos makes shock decision in GOAT conversation

The pair, despite going to battle for all of those years, would’ve had to have let bygones be bygones recently, however, given that they both signed for Paris Saint-Germain upon leaving Spanish football, albeit temporarily for Ramos. Now back at Sevilla, the versatile defender has had a more-than-phenomenal career and was blessed to have played with some of the greatest footballers the sport had on offer, most notably Ronaldo.

You’d think, therefore, that the seasons spent alongside Portugal’s all-time top goalscorer would make his decision to name the greatest player of all time (GOAT) a relatively stress-free task. Well, that is true. But maybe not how you’d expect seeing as he labelled his PSG teammate Messi as, "the best player football has ever produced."

Well, well, well. You’d expect that Ronaldo, who bathes in self-confidence, would not be best pleased with Ramos' comments, especially as they spent nine trophy-filled years together in the Spanish capital. Per MailOnline, Ramos and Ronaldo were no longer on speaking terms once the Portuguese superstar upped and left Madrid. The former, along with the majority of the Madrid roster, had not been in touch with the five-time Ballon d’Or after his reaction to Luka Modric winning the Ballon d'Or back in 2018.

The former Manchester United striker believed that his performances were worthy of picking up his sixth award, telling the Italian press just how disappointed he was during his time in Turin with Juventus.

That being said, the two have since faced off in a friendly match-up and their interaction suggests that their relationship has been restored, five years on. PSG locked horns with a combined XI made up of players from Ronaldo’s club Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal, and the two were spotted chatting in the tunnel as if nothing had ever come between them.