Lionel Messi played the game against Valladolid with great caution and was avoiding contact with the opponent's players, because any yellow card would have cost him absent from the Spanish El Clasico against Real Madrid, next Saturday.
That is why Messi tried not to object to the ruling decisions or to be angry at any error, and to control his nerves towards any violence committed against him.
Despite all of Messi's attempts, he almost received a warning from the referee, Jaime Latre.
After "La Terre" blew the final whistle, Messi went to him to object to a number of his arbitration decisions, including not counting a penalty kick for Sergio Dest, as well as ending the first half, and stopping a promising attack by Barca.
And Messi heard - according to Spanish media - telling one of the Barça administrators, "The referee wanted to warn me with a yellow card, this is terrible."
It is noteworthy that Messi and Dutchman Frankie de Jong were threatened to miss the match next Saturday because they got 4 zero cards, and if they received the fifth in yesterday's match, they would have missed the "Clasico of Earth."