Lionel Messi isn't exactly known for losing his rag.
The Paris Saint-Germain star is widely loved for his humble and unassuming demeanour, seldom ever strutting around with the type of arrogance that almost anyone would if they also happened to be one of the greatest sportspeople in history.
By the same token, Messi is rarely ever screaming down the ears of referees or throwing his hands up in protest every 10 seconds, adding to his status as a role model for aspiring young footballers.
When Messi loses his head
However, having said that, it doesn't mean that there aren't exceptions to the rule because you might be thinking right now: 'hold up a sec, I can think of plenty of times where Messi lost his composure.'
And whether that's the 2019 Copa America defeat to Brazil or his red card in the 2021 Supercopa de España, even the most ardent of Messi fans would concede that the oft-calm and collected forward can snap from time to time.
But of all the occasions on which the red mist has descended for Messi, perhaps the most understandable came in the cauldron-like atmosphere of El Clasico.
The golden era of El Clasico
In the early 2010s, the clashes between Barcelona and Real Madrid were the stuff of legend with both Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in their primes, while Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho sat in the dugouts.
Each and every time the two European giants went to war, you just knew that fireworks were guaranteed whether that be in the form of a legendary goal or, well, an entire pack of cards' worth of sendings off.
From Mourinho sinking his finger into Tito Vilanova's eye to Sergio Ramos picking up a red card every ten seconds, you certainly couldn't accuse those iconic encounters of lacking needle.
And some might argue that Messi - who, prior to 2021, had never been sent off for Barcelona - should also have been sent for an early bath during the golden era of El Clasico courtesy of a rare moment of s***housery from the Argentine.
When Messi caused chaos in the Bernabeu
That's because a clip of the moment that Messi made the entire Bernabeu lose its mind has gone viral this week, amassing more than 2,500 retweets and 34,000 'likes' in the past few days.
It came from deep in stoppage time of Barcelona's 1-1 draw away to their sworn enemies in April 2011 as Messi sprints towards the left-hand touchline in a spirited attempt to keep the ball in play.
However, true to the I-think-a-volcano-is-about-to-erupt atmosphere that pervaded every El Clasico match in this era, things quickly spilled over into chaos when Messi realised that his attempts were doomed.
So, what did he do? Well, boot the ball with some serious venom directly into the Real fans by the touchline, naturally, which you can check out it in all its anarchic glory for yourself down below:
Video: Messi boots the ball into Real Madrid fans for Barcelona
Oh dear, Leo, that was always going to end in carnage - just look at the scenes!
Fan reaction
Chaotic scenes sparked by Messi
You know the proverbial has hit the fan when a white flag is immediately thrown onto the pitch, the Real players throw their arms up in protest and even Pepe - yes, Pepe - is gesticulating for Messi to use his head.
And as much as Messi proceeded to shrug his shoulders as though he had absolutely no idea what was wrong, the replays do make it pretty explicit that he'd walloped the ball towards the crowd.
Thankfully nobody was hurt and the rose-tinted glasses of hindsight allow us to shelve it under the 's***housery' umbrella, but it's still remarkable to see the entire Bernabeu go from 0 to 100 in the space of a few seconds.
MADRID, SPAIN - APRIL 16: Lionel Messi of Barcelona controls the ball during the la Liga match between Real Madrid and Barcelona at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on April 16, 2011 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Jasper Juinen/Getty Images)
And believe it or not, Messi wasn't even booked for the episode despite many Real fans demanding that he should be sent off for his actions.
In the context of those infamously fiery clashes, however, perhaps it just wasn't that bad!