Lionel Messi explains why he wouldn't look Arsenal legend Thierry Henry in the face

Lionel Messi says he was so star struck he couldn't look Thierry Henry in the eye when he first arrived at Barcelona.

Henry left Arsenal in 2007 after winning two Premier League trophies in north London.

He was widely considered to be one of the best players in the world, while the future greatest footballer of all time, Messi, was merely a youngster still learning his trade.

Messi would have met a plethora of superstars from the first day he arrived at the Nou Camp as a 12-year-old, given the quality the club has always boasted.

But it was the sight of Henry that caused his jaw to drop.

The first day he entered the dressing room, I did not dare to look him in the face, Messi told L'Equipe.

I knew everything he had done in England. I had an image of him made and suddenly we were on the same team.