Offside Messi?

[jabarinho]

@ 0:36 mins in this video is messi offside? Messi seems to know he is offside so he steps over the ball and lets pedro touch it first.

The rule says that if a player is interfering with play or gaining an advantage by being in the offside position he is deemed offside. IMO messi's blatant step-over is interfering with play and gaining an illegal advantage.

FC Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid 5-0 All Goals 24/9/11

[Royal Freakiness]

this happened with man u a few years ago when fletcher told c. ronaldo to leave the ball.

[Palgi]

That could have been offside, because he affected the gameplay with stepping over the ball, but nah ...

[Marko]

He didn't touch the ball, so there is no offside.

[samfs]

I agree, he didn't touch the ball so it's not offside. Simple as that, no need to complicate it with the stepovers and all

[Palgi]

He didn't touch the ball, so there is no offside.

I agree, he didn't touch the ball so it's not offside. Simple as that, no need to complicate it with the stepovers and all

According to the rules it's not that simple. If he affected ANY players game with that stepover, it counts as an offside, if didn't it's not offside.

[Christof]

I agree with Palgi. Stepping over the ball pretending to touch is counts as an active participation in the game.

Also when a player blocks the goalkeeper's view and the ball goes into the goal, it doesn't count if that player was offside.

[Miran Pirner]

The rules of football don't apply for Barcelona, so of course it wasn't offside. 

[Adi]

the rules of football don't apply for Barcelona, so of course it wasn't offside. 

 

Seriously though, it's obvious that Messi is not going to play that ball and the pass was meant for Pedro not Messi.  I think common sense has to be used here and it was by both defense and the refs.  The defenders played the posession normally since the ball was being played for someone else.

All of you make good points, but personally I think this is a circumstance where the Messi should be ignored.  If he touched the ball or interfered with the keeper it would've been different.