Valverde delight

BARCELONA coach Ernesto Valverde admits he took great delight in finally being able to unleash Lionel Messi on opposing teams rather than being on the receiving end of the Argentina superstar’s genius.

Messi took his tally to seven goals i n his l ast three club games with a brace as Barca opened their Champions League campaign with an impressive 3-0 victory over last season’s beaten finalists Juventus.

Former Athletic Bilbao, Valencia and Espanyol boss Valverde, who took over at Barca i n the summer, said: “I suffered a lot when I had to face him and now I’m enjoying him. He was heavily involved in everything.”