Villarreal forward Samuel Chukwueze was the start in the club’s 3-2 victory over Real Madrid on Saturday at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.
The 23-year-old scored two goals in the surprising win over Los Blancos, but the Nigeria international’s dribbling had him putting on a performance that only rivals Lionel Messi.
OptaJose pointed out on Twitter that Chukwueze became the first player since the Paris Saint-Germain star in 2017 to complete seven dribbles in a LaLiga against Real Madrid at the Bernabéu.
7 – In MD 28, Samuel Chukwueze 🇳🇬 became the first player to complete 7 dribbles in a LaLiga against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu (7 out of 8) since Lionel Messi 🇦🇷 in April 2017 (7 out of 11). MVP. pic.twitter.com/Wka7nGE5hY
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) April 10, 2023
Messi has had so many memorable performances against the Spanish giants, so it is no surprise that when another player puts on a quality game against Real Madrid, they could join the Argentine in a statistical category.
The 35-year-old could also return to LaLiga and haunt Real Madrid more as Messi becomes a free agent in June when his contract with PSG expires. FC Barcelona remains in the mix to reunite possibly, but it will all depend on the financial situation.