Lionel Messi was at his very best once again as Barcelona defeated Getafe 5-2 in their La Liga clash on Thursday evening.

Messi scored the opener after eight minutes, only for Clement Lenglet to net an own goal four minutes later.

Barca would take the lead 15 minutes later when Sofian Chakla put the ball in his own net, before Messi got his second to ensure Barca lead 3-1 at half-time.

Getafe threatened a comeback when Enes Unal converted from the spot with 20 minutes remaining.

But Barca would make the points safe when Ronaldo Araujo netted.

Messi had a golden opportunity to take home the match ball when Barcelona were given another penalty - the third of the game - in the 93rd minute.

But Messi decided he didn't need to score a hat-trick. Instead, he gave the penalty to Antoine Griezmann, who had not had his best game.

The Frenchman would not let Messi down though as he dispatched his spot-kick to ensure Barca won by three goals.

Griezmann was extremely thankful to Messi for his generosity and he made sure to show his appreciation,

As Messi was walking away, Griezmann caught him by surprise as he gave him a warm embrace.

It made for a wholesome moment and you can watch it below.

That's lovely to see. Messi has to be one of the most unselfish players around.

He's currently leading the race for the Pichichi Trophy but will need to keep scoring to fend off Karim Benzema.

But he thought of his teammate instead of himself and he deserves so much respect for that.

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Barcelona remain in third after the victory but are now just five points behind Atletico Madrid in the race for the La Liga title.

Barca have a game in hand, too, meaning they are still well in the mix to win the Spanish league title.