The midfielder says it's possible the Argentine's spot-kick assist wasn't intended for Luis Suarez and admitted he wasn't expecting the surprise routine
Andres Iniesta says Lionel Messi may have meant to pass his penalty to Neymar rather than Luis Suarez in Barcelona's 6-1 win over Celta Vigo.
Messi rolled the ball to his team-mate to score his hat-trick, rather than going for goal himself, as the pair recreated Johan Cruyff's famous spot-kick with Jesper Olsen for Ajax back in December 1982.
However, Iniesta admitted the move caught him by surprise and backed up Neymar's claim that the Argentine may have picked out the wrong team-mate.
"My reaction to the penalty was one of surprise because of the way they executed it, but I'm happy it was a goal," he said to Barcelona's official website.
"You can take them like that too.
"Maybe the play was for Neymar [rather than Suarez].
"Personally, I haven't seen them work on that in training, but I am convinced it was planned."
Some critics have described Messi and Suarez's routine as distasteful, but Iniesta says Barcelona would never disrespect an opponent.
"We are the first ones to try to respect our opponents and the way they play," Iniesta told the official Barcelona website.
"I do not think that the penalty was disrespectful."
- Goal