Barcelona star Lionel Messi has refused to take credit for the club's Champions League victory over Bayer Leverkusen, despite scoring a record-breaking five goals in the clash.

The Argentina international and three-time Ballon d'Or winner was emphatic during Barca's 7-1 victory at the Nou Camp last night, sparking praise from a number of professionals from the football world.

"The most important thing is that all these goals we scored take us one step closer to winning the Champions League, which is our objective," said Messi. "We went out there wanting to ensure qualification for the quarter-finals and we achieved that.

"I have always said that it's fantastic when things come off for you and you play well, but only if you meet your aims for the match. That's what happened against Leverkusen.

"The team played very, very well, the performance had some beautiful moments and we scored lots of goals."

The 24-year-old became the first player to score five goals in a Champions League match.