Even when Lionel Messi is benched by Barcelona, you're probably not safe - just ask Sevilla.

Now into his thirties and with the demands of the Nou Camp greater than ever, the Blaugrana have taken the decision to rest their star man across a number of games this season. The La Liga visit to the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium on Saturday was one such occasion.

The trip to Sevilla is never an easy task, even if Vincenzo Montella's men have fallen off the pace recently and reside in seventh place.

Nevertheless, Manchester United's conquerers flew out the blocks against the table toppers and took the lead in the 36th minute virtue of Franco Vázquez.

Ernesto Valverde initially stuck by his guns, but after Luis Muriel doubled the home side's advantage in the second-half, he introduced Messi into the fray.

Messi rescued Barcelona v Sevilla from the bench

To say the five-time Ballon d'Or winner had an impact on the game from then on, would be putting things mildly.

Messi tracked back more than 40-yards to win the ball in the build-up to Luis Suarez's first goal, before finding the scoresheet himself to level things on the verge of stoppage time.

Just two minutes from full-time and the Messi-inspired side rescued a point.

Fairytale stuff and yet another reminder of how crucial Messi, even if he's ageing, is to the current Barcelona team and he moved them even closer to La Liga glory.

Moreover, in the aftermath to that performance, a very interesting clip has emerged that shows the game-changing moment of Messi finishing his warm-up, walking past the Sevilla bench and preparing to come on.

Sevilla coach: Go easy on us, Messi

The clip managed to pick up what the Sevilla entourage said and it's simply brilliant. Check out the video below:

One member of the club's staff was recorded as saying: 'Eh, tranquilo, eh,' or 'go easy, hey?' in English.

Messi responded with an amused reaction and he certainly had the final laugh - ignoring the advice of the Sevilla coach and rescuing the game for Barcelona.

The comment from the Sevilla bench goes to show the psychological impact the introduction of Messi makes, even if they were only joking around.

Jovial or not, however, they knew that Messi simply had to go easy if they stood a chance.

Do you think Lionel Messi is the greatest of all time? Have your say in the comments section below.

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