Barcelona manager Luis Enrique has labelled Lionel Messi as the ‘best’ player he has seen after the Argentine forward spurred a 2-0 victory over Ajax that secured the Spanish side a place in the Champions League knockout stages.

Messi grabbed both goals for Barcelona as they struggled at Amsterdam Arena with the Spanish side put under pressure throughout the game.

“Is Messi the best player of all time? Absolutely. He is the best player I have ever seen as a player or as a coach”, Enrique said after Messi’s brace drew him level with Raul for the most Champions League goals.

Messi’s goals, a 36th-minute header and a 76th-minute tap-in, gave him 71 in the European competition and were the difference in the match.

“There was a big difference between the first half and the second,” Enrique said.

“At certain moments Ajax managed to put us under pressure really well. After the break we tried to win the ball as far from our own goal as possible.”

Frank de Boer, who played alongside his Barcelona counterpart from 1999 to 2003, said his players can be proud of their performance.

“It is a pity we didn’t reward ourselves for a good game from our side,” De Boer said. “We showed we can compete at the highest level, and that is exactly what I wanted from my players.”