Mesut Ozil is “just like Lionel Messi” according to the world footballer of the year’s team-mate, Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

In his third season at Arsenal Ozil has proven himself to be among Europe’s best playmakers after two years in which he has not always fulfilled his potential at the Emirates. The playmaker is on course to break Thierry Henry’s Premier League assist record whilst he has proven crucial in key games such as victory over Bayern Munich in October.

Comparisons with the best player on the planet may be tough to live up to but Ter Stegen is convinced his compatriot belongs in such lofty heights.

“As a footballer, Ozil is a player who can do unthinkable things, just like Messi,” he said.

“He is impressive, and we will have to be alert that he does not harm us. I have played with him two or three times and he is a very significant player for the German national team and can do incredible things.”

Whilst the Barcelona keeper may have been effusive in his praise for Ozil he was in no doubt that Messi was the better player.

And it could be the Argentine forward who ends up being the difference over the two legs of the Champions League tie, his two goals in the final 20 minutes of the first leg ending Arsenal’s stubborn resistance.

Arsenal vs Barcelona: Player Ratings 23 show all Arsenal vs Barcelona: Player Ratings 1/23 Emirates clash Who starred in the Champions League? 2/23 Petr Cech: 6 Was not needed for the first 50 mins but proved himself to be supremely reliable when called upon to save from Neymar as pressure grew. 2016 Getty Images 3/23 Hector Bellerin: 6 Yet again the youngster raised his game under the pressure of an elite opponent. Neymar gave him plenty to worry about but Bellerin kept coming back. 4/23 Per Mertesacker: 7 Gobbled up the never-ending stream of crosses Barcelona fired towards him in the first half. Set the tone for a impressive defensive effort. 2015 The Arsenal Football Club Plc 5/23 Laurent Koscielny: 6 Hurled himself in the way of any ball aimed at Arsenal’s goal and had doubled up well on Messi for 70 minutes. Then he tired and the hosts defence collapsed. 6/23 Nacho Monreal: 6 Earned himself 85 minutes on a tightrope with a needless booking for fouling Rakitic but he dealt well with the pressure and kept a close eye on Messi. 7/23 Francis Coquelin: 7 A disciplined, commanding display at the heart of the Arsenal rearguard. He wasn’t afraid of getting physical in slowing Barcelona’s attacks, and it worked. 8/23 Aaron Ramsey: 7 The embodiment of so much that Arsenal got right tonight. Ramsey was committed in defence but drove forward to provide support to Giroud through the middle. 2016 Getty Images 9/23 Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: 6 Full of industry but somewhat lacking in quality in critical moments, as typified when he missed a dream chance from close range on 22 minutes. 10/23 Mesut Ozil: 6 This wasn’t a game suited to Ozil’s qualities, with Arsenal rarely having the ball for long enough for him to settle. Impressive in patches but no more than that. 11/23 Alexis Sanchez: 7 Much improved from his recent indifferent spell, he powered at the heart of Barcelona’s defence, giving Pique plenty of cause for concern. 12/23 Olivier Giroud: 7 Embraced his aerial dominance over Mascherano and Pique, offering his team-mates a vital outball when the pressure became too much to bear. 13/23 Marc-Andre ter Stegen: 7 Arguably the busier of the two keepers, he saved well from Oxlade-Chamberlain in the first half before diving low to block Giroud’s header on the hour. 14/23 Dani Alves: 5 Guilty of firing cross after cross onto Mertesacker’s head no matter how often Arsenal resisted his deliveries. Offered little going forward and struggled to tame Sanchez. 15/23 Gerard Pique: 7 Found himself mopping up behind his full-backs more often than he would have liked but he did it with supreme composure. 16/23 Javier Mascherano: 7 Dived in to deny Giroud a great goalscoring chance on the hour in what may have been a crucial tackle in the course of the match. 17/23 Jordi Alba: 5 Could have been a greater threat going forward but in truth Alba offered little to this contest bar a petulant attempt to get Giroud cautioned. 18/23 Sergio Busquets: 8 Superbly marshalled the space Arsenal looked to break into, making several critical interventions when Sanchez looked to threaten ter Stegen and company. 2015 Getty Images 19/23 Ivan Rakitic: 7 Neat and tidy in possession and impressive when Barcelona got on the front foot, he helped dictate Barcelona’s attacking play at its best. 20/23 Andreas Iniesta: 7 Took his time to take command of the game but in the second half he kept finding the space in behind Arsenal’s tiring backline. 21/23 Lionel Messi: 7 After a quiet 72 minutes he found himself in the right place to convert when the chance fell to him, calmly taking a touch then firing past Cech. 22/23 Luis Suarez: 5 Spurned his fair share of chances when it looked like Barcelona were going to be held at bay and should have had two goals at least. 2016 Getty Images 23/23 Neymar: 8 The most dangerous of the trident, he seemed to have blown several presentable chances early in the second half but was inspired for Barcelona’s opener. 2016 Getty Images 1/23 Emirates clash Who starred in the Champions League? 2/23 Petr Cech: 6 Was not needed for the first 50 mins but proved himself to be supremely reliable when called upon to save from Neymar as pressure grew. 2016 Getty Images 3/23 Hector Bellerin: 6 Yet again the youngster raised his game under the pressure of an elite opponent. Neymar gave him plenty to worry about but Bellerin kept coming back. 4/23 Per Mertesacker: 7 Gobbled up the never-ending stream of crosses Barcelona fired towards him in the first half. Set the tone for a impressive defensive effort. 2015 The Arsenal Football Club Plc 5/23 Laurent Koscielny: 6 Hurled himself in the way of any ball aimed at Arsenal’s goal and had doubled up well on Messi for 70 minutes. Then he tired and the hosts defence collapsed. 6/23 Nacho Monreal: 6 Earned himself 85 minutes on a tightrope with a needless booking for fouling Rakitic but he dealt well with the pressure and kept a close eye on Messi. 7/23 Francis Coquelin: 7 A disciplined, commanding display at the heart of the Arsenal rearguard. He wasn’t afraid of getting physical in slowing Barcelona’s attacks, and it worked. 8/23 Aaron Ramsey: 7 The embodiment of so much that Arsenal got right tonight. Ramsey was committed in defence but drove forward to provide support to Giroud through the middle. 2016 Getty Images 9/23 Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: 6 Full of industry but somewhat lacking in quality in critical moments, as typified when he missed a dream chance from close range on 22 minutes. 10/23 Mesut Ozil: 6 This wasn’t a game suited to Ozil’s qualities, with Arsenal rarely having the ball for long enough for him to settle. Impressive in patches but no more than that. 11/23 Alexis Sanchez: 7 Much improved from his recent indifferent spell, he powered at the heart of Barcelona’s defence, giving Pique plenty of cause for concern. 12/23 Olivier Giroud: 7 Embraced his aerial dominance over Mascherano and Pique, offering his team-mates a vital outball when the pressure became too much to bear. 13/23 Marc-Andre ter Stegen: 7 Arguably the busier of the two keepers, he saved well from Oxlade-Chamberlain in the first half before diving low to block Giroud’s header on the hour. 14/23 Dani Alves: 5 Guilty of firing cross after cross onto Mertesacker’s head no matter how often Arsenal resisted his deliveries. Offered little going forward and struggled to tame Sanchez. 15/23 Gerard Pique: 7 Found himself mopping up behind his full-backs more often than he would have liked but he did it with supreme composure. 16/23 Javier Mascherano: 7 Dived in to deny Giroud a great goalscoring chance on the hour in what may have been a crucial tackle in the course of the match. 17/23 Jordi Alba: 5 Could have been a greater threat going forward but in truth Alba offered little to this contest bar a petulant attempt to get Giroud cautioned. 18/23 Sergio Busquets: 8 Superbly marshalled the space Arsenal looked to break into, making several critical interventions when Sanchez looked to threaten ter Stegen and company. 2015 Getty Images 19/23 Ivan Rakitic: 7 Neat and tidy in possession and impressive when Barcelona got on the front foot, he helped dictate Barcelona’s attacking play at its best. 20/23 Andreas Iniesta: 7 Took his time to take command of the game but in the second half he kept finding the space in behind Arsenal’s tiring backline. 21/23 Lionel Messi: 7 After a quiet 72 minutes he found himself in the right place to convert when the chance fell to him, calmly taking a touch then firing past Cech. 22/23 Luis Suarez: 5 Spurned his fair share of chances when it looked like Barcelona were going to be held at bay and should have had two goals at least. 2016 Getty Images 23/23 Neymar: 8 The most dangerous of the trident, he seemed to have blown several presentable chances early in the second half but was inspired for Barcelona’s opener. 2016 Getty Images

“Everyone knows Leo Messi is the best player in the world,” said Ter Stegen. “His presence stands out on the pitch and he has always tricks that no-one knows about.

“It is great for us and like all the players on the pitch he wants to win and we want to do everything to help him.

“He is one of the best with free-kicks, he can shoot from everywhere, you never know where it will go and his attitude is incredible.”