Ronald Koeman reveals reason he benched Lionel Messi against Real Betis

Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman has revealed the reason behind his decision to bench Lionel Messi on Saturday.

The  Argentine came on to assure his side's Liga victory over Betis at Camp Nou.

Koeman decided to bring on Messi into the action with Barca deadlocked at 1-1 against the Seville side. 

Messi made an immediate impact, teeing Antoine Griezmann up with a wonderful dummy before scoring twice himself.

"We talked to Leo, who came out of the Dynamo [Kyiv] game with a niggle and he was not fit to play from the start," the Dutchman explained to reporters after the final whistle. 

"He was on the bench in case we needed him. If he was physically OK, he would have played from the start."