Lionel Messi penalty: Was Barcelona's 'Cruyff' spot-kick brilliant or disrespectful? Have your say

Barça head coach Luis Enrique defended his players from the accusations of showboating after the game

Barcelona forwards Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez (Getty Images)

Lionel Messi's deft ‘Cruyff’ penalty during Barcelona’s 6-1 victory over Celta Vigo last night has attracted praise and criticism in equal measure.

While many were delighted when the Argentinian passed up the chance to score his 300^th La Liga goal from the spot and instead used the kick to set up his team-mate Luis Suarez, others have described it as disrespectful.

Barça head coach Luis Enrique defended his players from the accusations of showboating after the game. "There will be those who like it and those who don't," he told reporters.

"As well as winning titles, here we try to entertain people and win in a spectacular and sporting manner. You can take a penalty like that, it's legal and there's a Cruyff penalty we all know."

Others, however, did not view it so favourably. Tomas Guasch, a reporter for the COPE radio station in Spain, said: "If this penalty had been invented by Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, people would be saying they should be sent to Afghanistan."

Marca journalist Diego Acedo argued: “I think it’s a lack of respect because Barça are the best team in the world and they don’t need to do that sort of thing.”

Was it ‘brilliant’ or ‘disrespectful’?

The case for…

• Football is about entertainment.
• It was good to see something different rather than a standard penalty.
• It’s been done before and isn’t against the rules.

The case against…

• It’s arrogant
• It’s unsporting and it’s a trick, designed to humiliate the opposition.
• Barcelona are good enough to win without resorting to deceiving their opponents.

Have your say in our poll…

Let us know your reasoning in the comments...