Lionel Messi 'Ego' Revealed by Thierry Henry as Barcelona Ace Is Named Best Ever

Thierry Henry has suggested that Lionel Messi's ego has pushed him to greatness.

Speaking on Sky Sports' coverage of Barcelona's 1-0 Champions League round-of-16 second-leg win over Manchester City, Henry said that it is "sad" when people doubt the quality of the Argentinian star, reported by Kieran Gill of the MailOnline.

Messi is often compared favourably to Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo when it comes to egos, with most people suggesting that the Portuguese icon is the more likely to irritate others with overpowering self-esteem and confidence. However, Henry stated that Messi's ego improves his game, per Gill:

"

He has an ego. Of course he has an ego. Do you think you do that without having an ego? It's not a bad thing. Having an ego is not a bad thing. Knowing that you are good. You need that. Let's all be honest. You need that. He just plays. If you ask him to play with you now just outside the dressing room, he will just want to have fun, perform and be the best out there.

"

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Messi was in stunning form when City arrived at Camp Nou on Wednesday night. He controlled the match with the ball at his feet, often darting beyond multiple tackles, spotting a clever pass and generally making City's defence appear frail. Ivan Rakitic was the main benefactor from Messi's vision, grabbing a goal from his team-mate's assist, per WorldSoccerTalk:

Sky Sports highlighted Messi's stats:

Fernandinho and James Milner felt the height of Messi's skill on the night. He nutmegged both in the first-half, demonstrating a measure of control City were never going to combat. Soccer.com tweeted the second nutmeg, as well as the reaction of former Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola, who marvelled at his former charge's play:

Barca defensive stalwart Javier Mascherano was one of many to praise Messi after the match, saying: "I have never seen anything like him," per Pete Jenson of the Daily Mail. "It is the way he dominates a game that sets him apart."

Left-back Jordi Alba called him the "best player in the world," while Rakitic suggested even the opposition were impressed, per Phil Kitromilides of Real Madrid TV:

Former Barcelona striker Gary Lineker is in no doubt over who deserves to be named the greatest footballer of all time:

Only a stunning performance from City goalkeeper Joe Hart stopped Messi from grabbing his ninth goal of the tournament this season and becoming the Champions League's joint-top scorer alongside Shakhtar Donetsk's Luiz Adriano, per Eurosport. On another night, he would have racked up a hat-trick, but credit where credit is due, Hart put in a phenomenal shift where the rest of his team-mates failed.

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Messi's form is ominous heading into Sunday's Clasico, which sees a wounded Madrid side try to regain La Liga's lead at Camp Nou. Barca are one point clear in the Spanish top division, with Messi now leading the race for the Golden Shoe, reported by Jamie Rainbow of WorldSoccer.com. Few would bet against him ripping through Los Blancos in Catalonia.

Ego or no ego, what can't be denied is that Messi has finally rediscovered his top form. Injury problems in early 2014 made last year one to forget, but nearly four months into 2015, Messi has announced himself as this year's man to beat for the Ballon d'Or.