Barcelona president Joan Laporta said that it was great to see forward Lionel Messi praised by Atletico fans during the Spanish Cup last 16 round game on Tuesday. The Argentine player produced a breathtaking display and scored a hat-trick to earn his team a well deserved win at Vicente Calderon. "It was a beautiful experience to see the Vicente Calderon give him a standing ovation and I hope he repeats it in many stadiums,” Laporta told Radio Catalunya. "Messi has extraordinary talent and we will have to take great care of him." Great Improvement
The win put Barca on course for a place in the cup quarter-final, and Laporta couldn't sound any happier with the club's development under coach Josep Guardiola. "Things are improving all the time and excitement and expectation is growing. "The players have great confidence at the moment in themselves and in their chances and they play very intensely." Since taking over Barcelona following the sacking of Frank Rijkaard, Guardiola has led the team to La Liga's summit with 44 points, 11 ahead of second placed Valencia. The club are also competing in advanced stages of both the Spanish Cup and the UEFA Champions League.
