Barcelona boss Gerardo Martino has praised Lionel Messi after the Argentine returned to the scoresheet in the club's 4-1 win over Sevilla.

The 26-year-old entered the match having not scored in La Liga since September, but his brace at the Estadio Ramon helped his side return to the summit of the table.

"I would never risk speaking ill of Messi. Unconsciously, people who talk about him are in fact playing with his pride, and if you touch the pride of the best player in the world, the rival pays for that, and that's what happened today," Martino told reporters.

"He is always decisive, even if it's just to draw rivals defenders inside. He becomes the focus of the other team's attention to such an extent that he creates space for others, so his involvement is always positive."

Despite a period on the sidelines with a thigh injury, Messi has still netted 21 times this season.