And both team mates and opponents showered Lionel Messi with compliments after Barcelona's 3-0 victory against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg match in the capital of Catalonia.
"Lionel Messi is a player from another planet," said Barcelona coach Luis Enrique.
The standout star of Barcelona on Wednesday evening at the Nou Camp stadium scored two goals and provided an assist that led to the hosts' triumph.
L. Enrique (Barcelona coach): "Lionel Messi is a player from another planet. I enjoy seeing him in training every day.
But admiring his attacking game, pay attention to what he does defensively as well.
We all saw his amazing performance, but I want to emphasize that our entire team was very good. We defended well, pressed the opponents high, and took the ball back as close to their goal as possible. This was especially evident when we scored the first goal.
We were able to take advantage of the moment when the opponents tried to take risks.
In attack we have three players whose qualities are beyond question. Leo's contribution makes these matches to our advantage, and we were precise in the final minutes of the match.
It was a very tough match, with both teams trying to press, deny the opponents peace, and create chances themselves.
We created more than the opponents and within 15 minutes won the match, but we haven't reached the final yet.
I have no doubt that next Tuesday will be very difficult. Today, without a doubt, was a very good evening, and the result is impressive, but the majority of the time the match was balanced.
(about the match in Munich) Anything can happen in football. I remember Bayern's quarter-final, when they lost the first match away to Porto (1-3, but then won 6-1 at home)."
We will not think about what will happen, but we will certainly aim for victory in the return leg.
(about Bayern having more possession (52%)) I have always been bad at math. I never care about percentages. What matters to me is only to see the ball possession statistics on the opponents' side of the field. That's what really matters."
Gerard Pique (Barcelona defender): "We played an exceptional match. We defended very well because they didn't have a single shot on target. When a team like Bayern doesn't score a single shot, it's simply unbelievable.
When attacking, we took advantage of the opportunities that came our way and caused them a lot of trouble on the counterattack.
(About Messi) Pep Guardiola knows him well and has accurately stated: when Leo gets going, no one can stop him. Leo scored two fantastic goals.
(About the match in Munich) In football, you can never be sure. Bayern is a great team, and at home, their fans give them extra wings. There we must score a goal to make them need to score even more."
Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona midfielder): "Throughout the match, we tried to score that first goal and never lowered the tempo. Finally, our attackers saved us, playing impressively.
(About Messi) I'll repeat myself and be boring, but that's where the difference between a great player and an exceptional unique player lies. There is no one else like Leo.
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