Messi lauded by Spanish newspapers after Barcelona superstar's UCL masterclass

Spanish newspapers heaped praise on Lionel Messi after his performance against Liverpool on Wednesday night.

The Barcelona star scored an incredible free-kick to add his second of the night in his side's 3-0 victory at the Camp Nou.

AS newspaper described him as 'the father of football' after the Champions League semi-final first leg match.

Mundo Deportivo described him as a 'giant' after he helped give his side a sizable advantage going into the second leg at Anfield on May 7.

Spanish paper Sport went with the headline 'delirium' highlighting Ernesto Valverde's side's impressive performance.

French newspaper L'Equipe went with the headline 'diabolical' with a picture of Messi celebrating.

Luis Suarez gave the Catalan giants the lead after getting on the end of Jordi Alba's pass.

Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk was criticised for not following the Uruguay international.

Messi then made it 2-0 after the ball took a series of ricochets and eventually landed at the 31-year-old's feet to tap into the empty net.

Then followed the sublime as the Argentina superstar curled a free-kick into the top corner past the helpless Alisson.