"You cannot plan for Messi - only react" says Deco

Opponents cannot make any provisions to pre-empt Leo Messi, they must simply react to the "unpredictable" Barcelona superstar, says former club team mate Deco. The pair made their debuts for Barca in the 2004-05 season - Deco arrived after having lifted the Champions League trophy with José Mourinho's Porto in the previous campaign. Together at Camp Nou, Messi and Deco won two LaLiga titles, two Spanish Supercups and the Champions League in 2006 – ending a 14-year wait for the Catalan club to get their hands on the Europe's top honour for the second time.

There is no method to stop Messi, says Deco

Messi has continued to rack up silverware and Deco believes the incredible ability of the five-time Ballon d'Or winner makes it impossible for opposing teams to stop him. He told Omnisport: "What I can say is that, when you have a player like Messi, be it any team in the world, you have a little advantage. Messi is not only a goal scorer, he creates, he defines the way the opponent defends their approach, their training. Coming up against Messi, things aren't going to be easy. They are going to be a lot different for the opposition, because he's unpredictable in one-on-one duels, and also with his passes. And obviously, the other team ends up very reactive to what he does on the field."