Real Valladolid director: Messi is a smallpox against which there is no vaccine Barcelona vs Real Valladolid They were put to the sword by the Argentine

Barcelona moved to the top of LaLiga Santander with a comfortable 5-1 win over Real Valladolid on Tuesday evening, a match which saw Lionel Messi at his very best.

The Barcelona captain scored two and assisted a couple in the victory, which left Valladolid director David Espinar to refer to Messi as an illness that cannot be cured.

Whilst rather a bizarre metaphor to use, it has been known for a number of years that if Messi is performing well, then you have a very small chance of a positive result against the Blaugrana.

"Messi is a smallpox, but there is no vaccine," Espinar admitted in his post-match press conference.

"He is an admirer of Ronaldo Nazario, and our president has already said that he admires him.

"It's a mutual feeling, and Ronaldo will have been as astonishing as everyone tonight but feeling a little bitter that Messi has done this against us."