Barcelona captain Leo Messi believes Sergio Ramos struck him with the intention to motivate his Real Madrid teammates.

Ramos clashed with Messi at the end of the first-half of Barca's 1-0 win last night, leaving the Argentine floored with a bloodied lip.

Afterwards, Messi stated: "I think that in the first half, the two teams, when they had the ball, did not try to hurt the opponent. There was no intensity in defensive actions, everyone playing in a low-middle block.

"It was not the temperature of a derby, of a Clasico which decides the title. I think Sergio Ramos' action probably comes from a player who knows the game has to change. And probably he does it with the intention of creating a different temperature for the second half, because the game was until then very soft, in my opinion."