STOPPING Lionel Messi has been a preoccupation for managers worldwide since he burst on to the scene as a teenager at Barcelona but Neil Lennon is one of the few who can say they have actually done it.

The Northern Irishman went head-to-head with Messi and Barca in a Champions League group game two years ago and emerged with arguably his finest-ever result.

Then in charge of Celtic, Lennon saw his side enjoy just 11 per cent of possession at Parkhead and withstand a barrage of 25 shots on target compared to a solitary three, but the 2-1 scoreline ranks as one of the Glasgow club’s most celebrated victories.

Even though Messi scored the Spaniards’ consolation late in stoppage time, he endured a torrid evening trying to better Bhoys’ England international keeper Fraser Forster, who was in imperious form.

And speaking in an interview with goal.com, Lennon lifted the lid on how he contained the Argentine ace.

“There is no secret, trying to get to him,” said the Wanderers boss. “Try and make him play with his back to goal. Because once he gets on the half-turn and finds the pockets of space, then you are in trouble.

“You always need a bit of fortune, and you need your goalkeeper to play very well.

“The more the game went on, Messi tended to drift into wider areas and that suited us a little bit better because he is far more dangerous when he is coming at you from deeper central positions.

“But you can never switch off for a second. It's all right me saying we had a set plan for him. It was common sense - stay with him but stay on your feet. Because he is so good with his feet, if you go to ground he'll finish you. So we were very disciplined in that aspect of the game.”

Messi became La Liga’s all-time top goalscorer at the weekend with a hat-trick against Sevilla and last night stood on the verge of beating Raul’s record for Champions League goals.

Incredibly, this has been a season in which the 27-year-old’s form has come under fierce scrutiny, with some suggestion he had become unhappy at Camp Nou.

That notion was dismissed instantly by Lennon: “Messi is looking a lot fitter and sharper than last season,” he said.

In total Lennon took charge of 26 Champions League games with Celtic, winning 13, reaching the group stages twice and the knockout stage once.