Argentine star compared to greats

Lionel Messi earned himself comparisons with sporting greats Diego Maradona and Michael Jordan after the Barcelona forward's brilliant performance in the Champions League on Wednesday.

After scoring a hattrick against Valencia in La Liga on Sunday, Messi netted twice and helped create another to inspire Barca to a 4-0 win over VfB Stuttgart at the Nou Camp and send the holders through to the quarterfinals 5-1 on aggregate.

"I think he is certainly one of the best in the world and people are right to make comparisons with Diego Maradona," Stuttgart coach Christian Gross said.