The Blaugrana coach is in no doubt that his charge is
the greatest player ever to take to the pitch, and that he is capable of
starring in any position
Luis Enrique has described Lionel Messi as the embodiment of total
football after he struck a record-breaking hat-trick in Barcelona's
thrashing of Celtic on Tuesday.
Messi became the first player to score three goals in a game for the
sixth time in Europe's top competition, as he inspired the home side to a
7-0 win over the Scottish champions at Camp Nou.
The Argentina star also turned provider for Luis Suarez's second late
on, and won the free-kick from which Neymar scored to make it 3-0
shortly after half-time.
And his coach believes his versatility across the pitch makes him unrivalled in the history of the sport.
"He plays everywhere because he has freedom," Luis Enrique said
afterwards. "If you play him as a six, an eight or a 10, he's the best
in the world. It wouldn't be clever to curtail that, to put limits on
him.
"That's why he's the best player of all time, without a doubt - for
his numbers and his footballing vision. He is total football."