Luis Enrique hails 'extraterrestrial' Messi
Lionel Messi was hailed by outgoing Barcelona coach Luis Enrique after the club won the Copa del Rey for the third consecutive season, with a win over AlavésEcuador-Argentina
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique lauded "extraterrestrial" Lionel Messi after ending his time in charge of the LaLiga giants with a Copa del Rey success.
Barcelona beat Alavés to seal Copa del Rey
Messi opened the scoring in Barca's 3-1 win over Alavés in Saturday's final to finish the season with 54 goals in all competitions.
Theo Hernández cancelled out that goal, but Neymar and Paco Alcácer struck late in the half as Barca claimed the Copa for the third straight year.
The victory ensures that Luis Enrique has won the Copa del Rey every season that he has been in charge at Camp Nou. The victory at the Calderón also sets up a clásico in the Super Cup, where LaLiga winners Real Madrid will face Barça over two legs.
Luis Enrique heaps praise on Messi
Luis Enrique was full of praise for Messi afterwards, saying the Argentina star was from another planet.
"Messi is an extraterrestrial in every sense and I'm very fortunate that I was able to enjoy the best, or one of the best, versions of him," he said.
"Without a doubt he's the number one and to be that you have to control every aspect and be very strong physically.
"He takes perfect care of himself, and there's still a lot more to come from Messi."