Lionel Messi Gets Extra Protection From League Officials And The Press- Filipe Luis

Atletico Madrid defender Filipe Luis has suggested that Lionel Messi benefits from extra protection in La Liga saying nobody wants one of the best players of all time out and for people to miss the opportunity to see him play.

The Filipe was sent off in his side's 2-1 defeat to Messi's Barcelona in January after a nasty tackle on the Argentinian wizard.

While Luis accepted that his actions justified a red card, the Brazilian still believes the world's best player receives preferential treatment from both the Spanish press and league officials. He said “It was a red, it was no mistake by the referee, it was a just red, I left the field, served my suspension and that was it. It's something you see in every game but because it was with Messi and he is the protege of the press and the league, obviously nobody wants one of the best players of all time out and for people to miss the opportunity to see him playing, and so he created all this. If you give Messi a metre, he'll snatch the ball and leave you behind.  My objective is to be intense so he can't do anything”