Lionel Messi

Barcelona maintained their four-point lead atop La Liga following a 2-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao at the San Mames. Lionel Messi scored the first for Barcelona, his 12th of the 10-game La Liga season, in the 36th minute. Paulinho added the second in the 92nd to ensure the three points for Barca.

Remarkably, that’s Paulinho’s third goal of the season for the club, moving him level with Luis Suarez in league play as Barca’s second highest scorer. With Messi in the kind of form he’s currently in, the club hasn’t had any real need for additional marksmen.

Diego Maradona is a sensitive man. On Monday he caught some feelings at the FIFA The Best awards ceremony after giving the FIFA Best Men's Player award to Cristiano Ronaldo and not fellow Argentinian Lionel Messi.

"To give the Best [award] to Ronaldo and not be able to give it to Messi hurt my soul," Maradona said to TyC Sports.

Luckily for Maradona, he and Messi did get to share a tender moment at the awards gala.

You know how Neymar left Barcelona for PSG? Well, apparently that move was in the works for a long time. As far back as Messi's wedding, if Xavi Hernandez is to be believed.

Here's what Xavi told the BBC World Service:

Barcelona defeated Olympiakos 3-1 in the Champions League despite having defender Gerard Pique sent off in the 42nd minute. A Dimitris Nikolaou own goal, Lionel Messi free kick and Lucas Digne insurance strike were enough to overcome their Greek opposition on a wet and wild night at the Camp Nou. Messi’s goal was his 100th overall in European competition with 97 coming in the Champions League and three in the UEFA Super Cup.