Lionel Messi's injury: Would Barcelona break up if his key man was excluded for a long time?

Just four minutes.

Valencia 's boss, Marcelino, was in a state of constant worry caused by Lionel Messi for almost four minutes of the La Liga clash against Barcelona.

"There is no one who can compare to him, so the only time I did not worry about him was when he was receiving treatment," he said. coach afterwards.

For the other 86 minutes of the match, Marcelino was scared every time the Blaugrana forward took possession of the ball, even when Argentina was clearly embarrbaded by a thigh problem in the late stages.

That's how terrifying Messi is, especially now, with 14 goals in his last 10 appearances in all competitions.

Valencia played 2-0 in half an hour at Camp Nou, but Marcelino knew that with Messi still on the pitch, nothing could be taken for granted.

His concern was justified. The 31-year-old pulled out a goal from the penalty mark before picking up things in the middle of the second period with a left-foot shot measured from outside the box.

Later, Marcelino seemed almost as amazed as frustrated.

"He is unlike any other player," he admitted. "He's decisive in almost every game, he's extraordinarily talented and he's hurting every opposing team.

"But it's not new."

Of course that's not it. Marcelino has already seen this game before. We all have.

During many magical evenings for more than a decade, the Barcelona No.10 alone has upset the games. This is the reason why "Messidependencia" has become a part of the football lexicon.

Of course, one can understand the fact that Barcelona has relied on the winner of the Golden Ball five times.

Although many do not consider him the best player of all time, it is hard to challenge his status as the best player in the world today.

Even if those who adore Messi for the aesthetic beauty of his game can be described as "purists", it is undeniable that his superiority is supported by irreproachable facts.

Not only did he score more goals (29 in just 27 games) than any other player in the top five European leagues in all competitions, but he also created the most (14 badists).

No one else approaches its combination of innovation and prolificacy.

"The numbers are stratospheric, unbelievable", recently enthused Ernesto Valverde, boss of Barca. "Messi is an extraordinary player from another galaxy.

"And it's not just that he's a scorer, it's all he creates, what he generates around him."

In this sense, Messi is more important than ever for Barcelona.

Andres Iniesta and Xavi have done him a favor, while he does almost everything himself. Messi became both creator and finisher of the Barca.

Of course, the man himself stands out from such talk.

"It's crazy [to say] that the best club in the world depends on only one player, "Messi said earlier in the season.

"If that's the case, something is wrong because Barcelona to have [too many] great players to say that they depend on one alone.

"We are talking about top players, the best in the world, and it's crazy to say that Barcelona to have "Messidependencia". "

This is not, however.

Barca has good players: Jordi Alba, with whom Messi enjoys an almost telepathic understanding, is the best right-back in the world, goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen and half-center Samuel Umtiti are part of the elite in their respective positions, Ousmane Dembele may be unplayable when he is fit and focused, while Arthur is a Masia graduate posing as a Brazilian import.

However, we can not deny that Gerard Pique, Luis Suarez and Sergio Busquets are not as brilliant as they were, so the management of the persistent appearance of Messi has become of paramount importance.

Indeed, even a coach as reluctant to rotate as Valverde was forced to rest his star man with the resumption of the Champions League this month.

It did not go well, though.

Barça was impressive when Messi was sidelined three weeks earlier in the season, taking four points on Inter in the Champions League and even beating Real Madrid 5-1 in La Liga.

However, this last result must be placed in context: Real were a disaster at the time, in full disruption under Julen Lopetegui, who was fired immediately after.

Madrid will be a completely different proposition at Camp Nou on Wednesday night, having won their last five games in all competitions under the new boss Santiago Solari.

Therefore, Barca are wait until the eve of the Copa del Rey semifinal before deciding whether Messi, the man who scored 35% of their goals in La Liga, will be at the rendezvous.

In each of the two previous rounds, against Levante and Sevilla, the striker was resting for the first leg. Barca were beaten twice.

However, after losing 2-0 to Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, Valverde said, "I'm doing what I think is best for us and the group."

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It is hoped that he will once again adhere to this approach: it is better to risk losing at home against Real in the Copa than to risk his whole season by lining up a half-fit Messi.

A serious injury to the captain would put an end to Barca's hopes of keeping La Liga and end the reign of Madrid as champions of Europe.

As Marcelino says, Messi is unlike any other player. And Barcelona would be like any other team without him.