Mourinho gave Lionel Messi ‘God’ nickname after masterclass vs Liverpool

Lionel Messi was dubbed the "God of Football" by Jose Mourinho after a stunning performance against Liverpool.

The two had been rivals when Mourinho managed Real Madrid and Messi played for Barcelona between 2010 and 2013. Mourinho, who has also managed Chelsea and Manchester United, couldn't hide his admiration for Messi after watching him lead Barcelona to a surprising 3-0 victory over Liverpool in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final in 2019," reports The Mirror.

Despite Liverpool having more possession at Camp Nou, Messi's brilliance shone through, with a spectacular free-kick from 35 yards being the highlight. The current AS Roma manager, while discussing Messi's influence on the game with Russia Today, stated: "Liverpool was brave in the approach.

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"I don't think in the past 20 years many teams in the Champions League beat Barcelona in ball possession in the Champions League. God of Football made it completely different. Of course (Barca) have a good team, phenomenal players, but that player is absolutely incredible."

He also shared his thoughts on why Liverpool didn't manage to score against their opponents, despite having more ball possession. Mourinho said: "Liverpool deserve much more than the 3-0 defeat but in the last two corners of the game it could be 4-0 or 5-0."

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"[That is] because the game was broken and then they couldn't cope. The question is which Barcelona will we have when Messi decides to say goodbye."

"Fabinho and even (Roberto) Firmino looks small (for the free-kick) but is not small. Firmino is the last one but this side, the goalkeeper gave one metre to the diagonal to cover that situation and it's impossible to stop."

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Mourinho, the former Old Trafford head coach, also praised Luis Suarez, who scored during the match. He added: "Luis Suarez's movement (for the first goal) is phenomenal."

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