Lionel Messi the 'Harry Potter' of football? This Juventus legend thinks so

Juventus legend Christian Vieri has described Barcelona captain Lionel Messi as a '"wizard" and deemed the six-time Ballon d'Or winner as the "Harry Potter of Football". Ronald Koeman's Barcelona recorded a 2-0 win over Juventus in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night as Messi provided the assist for Ousmane Dembele's opening goal before sealing the three points from the penalty spot late in the game for the Catalan heavyweights. Messi also made a game-high five key passes and 65 passes in the opposition half as his performance received immense praise from Vieri. 

ALSO READ: Diego Maradona forced Into Self-isolation After His Bodyguard Shows COVID-19 Symptoms

Juventus vs Barcelona: Christian Vieri brands Lionel Messi as the "Harry Potter of Football"

Following Barcelona's 2-0 win over Juventus on Wednesday night, CBS Sports pundit and former Italy international, Christian Vieri heaped praise on Barcelona for their display against the Bianconeri. The Juventus great said, "This was no contest for me because Barcelona were amazing. They could have scored six, seven goals easily." Vieri also claimed that he was shocked that this Barcelona team lost 3-1 to Real Madrid in El Clasico at the Camp Nou last Saturday.

ALSO READ: Marcus Rashford Dubbed 'future Captain' After Passing Up Penalty Despite Treble Chance

Vieri, who won the Serie A with Juventus back in 1997, then waxed lyrical about Lionel Messi. He added, "For me, Messi is a magician, the Harry Potter of Football. When he retires, I will maybe throw my TV away or watch only Netflix." The 47-year-old concluded by saying, "When he (Messi) stops playing, I will no longer watch football because there's nothing else to watch. When you've got a number 10 like that, it's just amazing to watch. The only shame was that there were no fans in the stadium to witness him"

ALSO READ: Marcus Rashford Scores Fastest-ever UCL Hat-trick By Any Substitute In RB Leipzig rout

Lionel Messi stats: Argentine star's incredible numbers in the Champions League

Ever since Lionel Messi's first campaign with Barcelona back in 2004-05, only Cristiano Ronaldo has provided more assists (38) in the UCL than Messi (35). After assisting Dembele for the opening goal of the game, Messi held his composure in second-half stoppage time to convert from the penalty spot and make it 2-0. It was his 116th goal in the elite European competition. 

ALSO READ: Man United Transfer News: Red Devils Plan To Sign Milan's Calhanoglu For FREE next Summer

Merih Demiral received a red card five minutes before the full-time whistle while Alvaro Morata had three goals ruled out due to offside on a frustrating night for the defending Serie A champions. 

Image Credits - Harry Potter Films, Leo Messi Instagram