Roura delighted with ´great´ Messi

10 January 2013 13:38

Barcelona assistant coach Jordi Roura has taken time to praise Lionel Messi following the Argentine's Ballon d'Or success.

The prolific attacker beat Cristiano Ronaldo and Andres Iniesta to the prestigious individual award to become the first player in history to win the prize four times in succession.

Roura feels Messi, who scored a record-breaking 91 goals in 2012, makes everything look so easy.

"We have to appreciate the importance of what he has done. He has made history," Roura said at a press conference.

"It's an enormous achievement, but when you see him every day and see how natural it comes to him and how normal he is, you forget how great he is.

"We have to take our hats off to him."

Messi's 91 goals last year broke Gerd Mueller's longstanding record of 85 goals in a calendar year for club and country.