It is impossible to stop Messi using one player: Boudewijn Zenden

Lionel Messi is impossible to stop using a single player, said former player Boudewijn Zenden.

"It is impossible to stop him by using a single player. It makes no sense speaking about how to stop him because you can't stop him," Goal.com quoted Zenden as saying.

Zenden, who has played for both Liverpool and Barcelona, praised Messi for his versatility.

"It makes no sense speaking about that, especially because he plays in a lot of different positions in every game," Zenden said.

The Dutchman also hailed Barcelona's passing abilities which he thinks make Barcelona's attack even harder to defend.

"Playing against Messi needs teamwork but the main problem with that is Barcelona always have advanced passing lines and it makes the situation even harder to defend," Zenden said.

"That's why Barcelona always score, it is not only because they are so good, it is because their style is almost impossible to defend," he added.

Barcelona and Liverpool are set to compete with each other in the semi-finals of Champions League on May 2.