Lionel Messi news: 'I’ve never seen anyone from another planet, but it must be similar to Messi', says former Blaugrana winger

What's the story?

Former Barcelona and Manchester City winger Joan Ángel Román has hailed Lionel Messi for his other-worldly football abilities, stating that the mercurial Argentine makes the most difficult things look easy on the pitch.

In case you didn't know

Roman spent three years alongside Messi at the Camp Nou and has witnessed first-hand the hard work and skill of the Barcelona captain.

The 31-year-old guided Barcelona to another La Liga title this season but failed to do the same in the Champions League as they crashed out of the competition after being on the receiving end of a spectacular comeback from Liverpool earlier this week.

Individually, Messi has had a fine season for the club and boasts of having scored 48 goals in all competitions, out of which 34 were netted in La Liga, making him the front-runner for the European Golden Shoe.

The heart of the matter

Roman has heaped praise on Messi and revealed that what the audience sees on television is exactly what the Argentine maestro does in training. Speaking to Planet Football, the former Blaugrana man said, "I’ve never seen anyone from another planet, but it must be similar to him [Messi]."

"What you see on TV is what he does in training, you cannot get near him. His legs are so powerful, when he controls the ball, it’s like he has glue on his boot and he makes it look so easy, which makes you think you can do it too, but you try and you can’t, he is just something else. The best I have ever seen."

“I remember at the beginning I was scared, anyone who says any different is lying." #MCFC https://t.co/eWR2Ks5PH9

— Planet Football (@planetfutebol) May 9, 2019

What's next?

With La Liga already won and the Champions League now out of the way, Barcelona will re-set their focus on the Copa del Rey final against Valencia later this month.