Lionel Messi used his 'favourite pass' against Poland, it's programmed into him at this point

Fans have noticed that Lionel Messi has a favourite pass to play during games and he used it to devastating effect against Poland.

Messi missed a first-half penalty that he was awarded after VAR ruled that Wojciech Szczesny had taken him out.

The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner was looking for his third goal of the tournament and had the chance to put away a second spot-kick.

But Szczesny guessed right and made a strong save to thwart the powerful strike.

While Messi wasn't on the scoresheet and also didn't register, he was utterly mesmeric as per and had fans gawking with some of the stunning play he conjured up at Stadium 974.

Goalscorer Alexis Mac Allister collected the Man of the Match award but it really ought to have been Messi, who played a slew of ridiculous passes no other player has in their locker.

And many were repeats of Messi's 'go-to-pass', which has been a feature of his game for years.

As a viral compilation on Messi's 'favourite pass' shows, he loves the chipped ball out to the onrushing left-back.

Messi drifts inside and immediately spots the movement in behind the right-back, threading through the pass with a perfect weight and timing.

It's almost programmed into him to the point where he need not even look at where his teammate is. At Barcelona, he and Jordi Alba developed a special telepathy that created so many clear-cut chances out of nothing.

On Thursday, however, Sevilla's Marcos Acuna wasn't quite on the same wavelength and didn't quite make the most of the outrageous passes Messi fed him.

One fan put it perfectly, writing: "Messi has played that exact, diagonal, chipped ball over the top approximately 4,000 times in his career. The first 3,990 were to Jordi Alba and led to winning every trophy imaginable. The last 10 were to Acuña, and, well, it's scoreless at half against Poland."

When it was Alba latching onto the deliveries, he would then find Messi with perfect cut-backs that turned into assists.

Image: Alamy

It's fairly normal service from Messi but fans continue to be astounded by his playmaking abilities.

One user wrote: "Bro made those passes look normal. He set his standards so high that he is the victim of his own success if he has an off game."

Another said: "This very pass and THAT JORDI ALBA RUN will be remembered for ages."

A third said: "I don't fear a man who has practiced 10'000 skills once. I fear a man who has practiced one skill 10'000 times.

A fourth commented: "This exact pass along with Jordi Alba’s cut backs to Messi on the edge of the box are absolutely iconic."

A fifth added: "Jordi Alba was one of the luckiest men on the planet to receive so many quality passes like that from Messi."

Messi and Argentina will face Australia in the round of 16 on Saturday as look to take a step closer to World Cup glory before the 35-year-old hangs up his boots.