“You need a machine gun to stop him” – When Barcelona legend perfectly described Lionel Messi’s brilliance

In an interview in 2010, Barcelona legend Hristo Stoichkov hailed Lionel Messi as a force of nature, claiming that opponents needed nothing short of a machine gun to stop him.

Lionel Messi scored a whopping four goals in the second leg of Barcelona’s 6-3 aggregate win over Arsenal in the 2009-10 Champions League quarter-finals. Following a 2-2 draw in the first leg at the Emirates Stadium, Messi’s brilliance propelled Barcelona to a 4-1 victory at Camp Nou.

Four days after his Camp Nou masterclass, Messi took his brilliance to Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. He scored the opening goal as the Blaugrana bagged a 2-0 win over their sternest rivals. Following the match, former European Footballer of the Year, Stoichkov lauded the Barcelona record goalscorer, calling him unstoppable.

"Once they said they can only stop me with a pistol, but today you need a machine gun to stop him," Stoichkov told Bulgarian Trud Daily (via Evening Standard).

Stoichkov, who was an integral part of Johan Cruyff’s Barca team that won four consecutive La Liga titles in 1990s, then slammed Real Madrid’s performance.

"Some were kicking like donkeys, others were playing football. Money doesn't play football,” he added.

"Real's hundreds of millions were not enough for a single goal."

Lionel Messi ended the 2009-10 season with 47 goals and 12 assists in 53 games in all competitions for Barcelona. He won his second consecutive Ballon d’Or on the back of his remarkable campaign.

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Lionel Messi believes PSG are capable of eliminating Bayern Munich

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) ace Lionel Messi has declared that his team are capable of knocking six-time Champions League winners Bayern Munich out of the UEFA Champions League. His comments came in an interview with PSG TV ahead of the return leg of PSG’s Round-of-16 clash with Bayern Munich.

The Parisians were beaten 1-0 at home in the first leg, with Kingsley Coman's goal separating the two teams on the night. Messi believes that PSG have what it takes to get the result they need and eliminate Bayern at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday night (8 March).

“It’s going to be a very difficult game which will be decided by small details. Winning at this stadium is very tough. But I think we’re well prepared and capable of turning the situation around. We’ll go to Munich with this intention,” Messi conveyed via PSG TV.

PSG will be without Neymar for the crucial second leg. The Brazilian is set to undergo ankle surgery and will miss the remainder of the 2022-23 season as a result.