Luis Enrique on Lionel Messi: 'As a winger he would also be unstoppable'

It can be easy to forget about Lionel Messi's capabilities as a winger.

Under Frank Rijkaard, the manager who handed the Argentine phenom his first appearance with the Catalan club's first team in 2004, Messi was often deployed on the right flank in an attacking trio that also featured Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto'o.

After David Villa joined Barcelona ahead of the 2010-11 season, Messi was pushed into the more central position that supporters have become accustomed to seeing in recent years. However, with Luis Suarez now at the Camp Nou, this season has seen Messi make something of a return to the right flank, where he's capable of cutting in using his stronger left foot.

He's still tearing apart backlines in the middle of the pitch, where he appears most comfortable. But manager Luis Enrique believes that Messi would be just as unstoppable if he featured exclusively as a winger.

"It doesn't matter where you put a player like Leo Messi," Enrique said ahead of his side's fixture against Eibar, according to Spanish daily Marca. "As a winger he would also be unstoppable. There's no secret. The secret is in him. He's the best in the world."

Through 26 La Liga fixtures, Messi has notched 30 goals and 14 assists, including a hat trick in Barcelona's 6-1 thrashing of Rayo Vallecano on Sunday.