Messi nominated for Champions League Player of the Week

FC Barcelona talismanic forward Lionel Messi has once again received recognition in Europe's elite club competition as the star has been nominated for the Player of the Week award for Matchday 5, receiving nomination for the third time in four games this season.

Lionel Messi helped Barça qualify for the Round of 16 after scoring in his fourth consecutive game of the group stage, bagging a brace against Celtic to take his season tally to 9 goals in four games and help his team finish top of Group C by guiding them to a 2-0 win in Glasgow as they look to win their 6th UEFA Champions League crown.

Messi didn't only just score for Barça, he was all over the pitch. His two shots on target resulted in goals and he created two big chances for teammate Luis Suárez who denied him a great assist in both occasions. Messi was Barça's captain of the night and he led the team in beautiful fashion.

Messi has featured in four games so far in the 2016/2017 UEFA Champions League season and had been nominated for the Player of the Week award on 3 occasions, scoring a combined 9 goals whilst providing 2 assists in the process.

King Leo is favourite to win the award, but will face stiff competition from Borussia Dortmund attacker Marco Reus who bagged a brace in his team's emphatic 8-4 win over Legia Warsaw. Other nominees are PSG's Edinson Cavani, Real Madrid's Raphael Varane, Atlético Madrid's Antoine Griezmann, Juventus' Juan Cuadrado, Leicester City's Riyad Mahrez and Napoli's Marek Hamsik. Voting can be done on UEFA's official website.