Individual highlights: Leo Messi (Barcelona) v Bayern Munich; Hulk (Porto) v Manchester United

Besides Branislav Ivanovic, Leo Messi was the star of last night’s Champions League games.

The pundits were gushing in their praise for the Argentinean trickster, surely the best player in the world right now.

“Barcelona were all but irresistible in a first half during which two goals from the football genius that is Lionel Messi.” - Patrick Barclay.

“It is hard to imagine that any club has assembled a more terrifying attacking trident than that of Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto’o and Thierry Henry an audience of more than 93,000 at the Nou Camp thrilled to their every extravagant exploit… Messi is blessed with an acuity of peripheral vision that even Cristiano Ronaldo would covet, and on this occasion he made Breno and Martin Demichelis, Bayern’s befuddled centre-backs, look hopelessly inert. - Oliver Brown.

Highlights of Lionel Messi’s performance against Bayern Munich, including the penalty claim that saw Howard Webb book the Argentinean and order Pep Guardiola to the stands, can be seen here.

Alternatively, the Messi diving incident can be seen separately here.

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Hulk may not have scored in the Champions League this season but he does look a threat and he certainly has a lot of fans out there. The Brazilian with the name that has spawned hundreds of puns and jokes (don’t make him mad, sorry) looked a threat at Old Trafford and if he could bag some goals he may start looking more than just a “poor man’s Adriano.”

Highlights of Hulk v Manchester United can be seen here.