After a run of three matches without a win, Barcelona needed their big players to turn up against Tottenham in the Champions League.

And Lionel Messi certainly led by example with an incredible display.

The Argentine superstar played a role in Barca’s two first-half goals to give them a 2-0 lead at half-time.

He then scored twice after the break, helping Ernesto Valverde’s side to a 4-2 victory.

His performance was just mesmerising and, after the match, fans and plaudits were queuing up to pay tribute to him.

It was a pleasure to watch Messi at Wembley on Wednesday. But what was it like to play against him?

Well, Kieran Trippier was asked that very question after Spurs’ loss and gave a very honest answer, saying that Messi was “magic to watch”.

“These are the games you want to be involved in,” Trippier told BT Sport. “You dream of playing in games like this and especially against players like Messi.

“He was unbelievable in the game. We all know the quality of a player and when he’s in that form he’s magic to watch."

You weren’t supposed to be watching him, Kieran, you were supposed to be trying to tackle him.

But you can’t exactly blame the right-back for taking a step back and admiring Messi at his finest.

Trippier will be able to tell his grandkids that he played against Messi in his prime - although he may want to leave out the fact he allowed him to score twice during a 4-2 loss.

Spurs now face an uphill task to qualify from their Champions League group after losses against Inter Milan and Barcelona.

They will go into their double-header against PSV needing nothing less than six points to give them a chance of pipping either Inter or Barca into the knockout stages of the competition.