The Lionel Messi-woodwork affair: a hat-trick of near-misses

New Delhi: Other than wife Antonella Roccuzzo, Lionel Messi seems to have found a new love - his attraction towards the woodwork. And it almost became official during Monday's encounter against Deportivo la Coruna. Just like they say 'opposites attract,' Messi and the woodwork have been pulling themselves towards each other this season. In total, the Barca legend has hit the frame a total of 14 times in La Liga this season.

During the game against Deportivo on Monday, the Argentine hit the crossbars three times – first in the 37th minute when he took a shot from inside the box, then in the 43rd when the ball hit the upright again and then again in the 67th when his free-kick found the horizontal bar. Fortunately, the rebound fell to Paulinho, who pounced on to it and made it 2-0.

Monday's near-misses for Messi were somewhat similar to the ones he experienced against Real Betis earlier in the season, when he hit the woodwork thrice. He is, in fact, en route breaking his own record of hitting the bars most time in a season, i.e., 18.

In all, Barca have hit the upright a total of 25 times this season, one more than their El Clasico rivals Real Madrid. To top it all, Messi has already crossed a century of finding the frame in his career, making him one of the unluckiest player in Europe.

Video: Free-kick Messi hits woodwork, seen from the stands #fcblive [via @gerardromero] pic.twitter.com/krbGH7zTXl

— Subash Dawadi FCB (@barcelonist_boy) December 30, 2015

@FCBarcelona Almost caught great combo between #Messi n #Suarez but the final effort clipped the woodwork #GamperFCB pic.twitter.com/UGYUCF8H7c — Ross (@rossphilllips) August 10, 2016

Barcelona currently sit at the top of the La Liga table, ahead of the Dec 23 El Clasico in Santiago Bernabeu. They already have a six-point lead over second-placed Atletico Madrid and an 11-point lead over fourth-placed Real Madrid. Messi is currently in top form and leads the La Liga Golden Boot race with 14 goals in a total 1440 played minutes. He was also the top scorer last season with 37 goals in 34 outings.