Barcelona's Argentinian forward Lionel Messi kicks the ball during the Spanish 'Copa del Rey' (King's cup) first leg semi-final football match between FC Barcelona and Valencia CF at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on February 01, 2018. Pic/AFP

Hailing Lionel Messi's performance against Valencia in the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg, FC Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde said the Argentine is "spectacular" to watch. "What happens with Messi is that every time he gets the ball, you expect him to do something," Valverde was quoted as saying by espnfc in his post-game news conference. "Sometimes that's excessive because you have to let him breathe a bit, but it's spectacular to watch him. From an improbable situation, he's dug out a cross and we've scored," he added.