Ernesto Valverde: 'Lionel Messi was stunning'

Athletic Bilbao boss Ernesto Valverde has admitted that his team struggled to cope with Lionel Messi in Saturday's Copa del Rey final.

Messi scored twice for Barcelona in their 3-1 victory, with the Argentine's first one of the all-time great goals in Copa del Rey history.

Valverde has claimed that it is 'almost impossible' to stop Messi, and also paid tribute to the qualities of Luis Suarez and Neymar.

"I was asked if Messi is unstoppable and, if he isn't, he almost is," Valverde told reporters.

"He determines the way Barca play and how you have to defend against them. We started well but Messi tends to pop up in these sorts of games and he was incredible, stunning.

"The second goal hurt us. We couldn't get at their defensive line as we wanted, they pressed well. It was the opposite for them, and it's not easy to stop Messi, Suarez and Neymar."

Inaki Williams scored Bilbao's consolation goal late on in Barca's 27th Copa triumph.