LUIS ENRIQUE HAS showered praise on Lionel Messi after the forward produced a brilliant display in Barcelona’s 3-1 Copa del Rey final win over Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.
The Argentine enjoyed another memorable match as he scored an incredible solo goal to break the deadlock before adding a third for his side in the second half following a Neymar tap in.
Luis Enrique has joined the chorus lauding the 27-year-old and suggested efforts like his wondergoal opener – which he conceded he had not seen from a good angle yet – are witnessed all of the time in training.
“We’re used to this Messi. We’re lucky to enjoy him every day in training, when we see him wriggle away from three challenges before shooting. His first goal was from another galaxy,” the coach said.
“I can’t wait to see the goal on television – being a coach made it difficult to see properly.”
Neymar, another arm of Barcelona’s forward trio who set a new Spanish record of 120 goals this term, came under fire from Athletic after the game for a perceived lack of respect and Luis Enrique empathised with their frustration.
“If I were an Athletic player I would have reacted the same or worse,” he said. “But in Brazil, this is normal.”
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Meanwhile, the coach is unable to know for certain if Andres Iniesta will be fit to feature in next weekend’s Champions League final in Berlin against Juventus when the winner will wrap up a major trophy treble this season.
“Iniesta’s fine, he had some discomfort. There’ll be tests and we’ll see if he can play next week,” Luis Enrique added.
