Updated at 11am

1. Messi’s renaissance comparable to Pele in 1970

FOR ALMOST ANY other player, the kind of form Lionel Messi showed last season would have resulted in excessive praise. However, by the Argentine superstar’s incredibly lofty standards, the majority of 2014 was somewhat disappointing.

Barca failed to win both La Liga and the Champions League, while despite showing flashes of genius at the World Cup with Argentina, that too ended in an anti-climax for the footballer routinely dubbed ‘the best in the world’.

Messi is very different to Pele in many ways, and in some senses, it is impossible to compare the two vastly different eras of football from which they come.

However, the manner in which the Argentina star recovered from the disappointments of last season, to come back arguably better than ever this year — when many people were claiming Ronaldo had taken his long-standing status as the world’s greatest player — has been truly astonishing.

Pele achieved a somewhat similar feat at the 1970 World Cup — when many critics had described the legend as being past his best after he suffered a number of bad injuries — as the Brazilian silenced his doubters by inspiring his country to glory.

It has been therefore tempting to draw comparisons between the two — despite their obvious differences — particularly on Wednesday night, as Messi shone when the stakes were high and with the world watching.

2. Harsh to single out Bale

PA Wire / Press Association Images PA Wire / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

(Gareth Bale’s agent was moved to hit back at Roy Keane after the television pundit criticised the winger’s performance)

Life hasn’t been easy for Gareth Bale in Spain this season, and it’s likely to become even more difficult after Tuesday night.

The Welshman delivered a poor performance, as Real Madrid were beaten 2-1 by Juventus in Turin.

The reaction to Bale’s non-performance was predictably merciless — Roy Keane suggested Real were playing with 10 men, while the main Spanish papers all gave him the lowest rating of any of the club’s players.

Nevertheless, while Bale disappointed, he was far from the only inept player on show for the visitors. Moreover, it must be remembered that the 25-year-old was nowhere near fully fit and would have been under undue pressure from certain quarters not to withdraw owing to injury.

Yes, his performance wasn’t good enough, but more balance is needed when analysing the reasons behind the former Tottenham player’s failure. Instead, the attacker is being used as a scapegoat to conceal much deeper flaws in the performance and within the club at large.

3. Neuer justifies his status as the world’s best goalkeeper

Had it not been for Messi’s magic, the post-match analysis would have undoubtedly focused on one other world-class player in Wednesday night’s clash.

If the Argentine star proved his brilliance in the second half, Bayern’s German goalkeeper gave a similarly bravura performance in the first.

Manuel Neuer made at least two world-class saves to deny a dominant Barca, and was threatening to virtually single-handedly hold back Luis Enrique’s men from victory at times. But in the end, he was overcome by a few unstoppable strikes from some exceptional individuals.

While a number of Bayern players gave underwhelming displays, Neuer is conversely the one individual who was virtually blameless in the loss.

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