Lionel Messi ‘squares up to angry Barcelona fans at Liverpool Airport’

The usually placid Lionel Messi was ‘involved in an ugly altercation’ with his own fans as Barcelona players travelled home from Liverpool Airport on Tuesday night.

Messi was powerless to stop Jurgen Klopp’s side overturn a 3-0 deficit to win 4-3 at Anfield, dumping Barcelona out of the competition at the semi-final stage.

And after the match, Mundo Deportivo report that Messi – widely regarded as the best player in the world – squared up to angry fans who confronted him at John Lennon Airport and asked them what their problem was. 

Barcelona fans inside the stadium were left devastated by Liverpool’s incredible performance

The Argentine left Anfield in tears after the match, and was clearly angry at the shock result. 

He did not arrive at the airport with his team-mates, instead being held back at the stadium by anti-doping officials.

Messi was then accompanied to the airport by his personal security guard and manager Pepe Costa.

Messi could not produce his usual magic on the pitch and Barcelona crashed out

Liverpool produced a remarkable comeback to overturn the first leg deficit against Barca

At the airport’s security checkpoint, a small group of fans are said to have confronted Messi and the player had to be dragged away to avoid a more serious situation.

It was also reported that a separate group of Barcelona fans applauded their hero, coming to the defence of the player despite an awful evening on the pitch. 

In the first leg at the Nou Camp, Messi was in fine form, scoring a remarkable free-kick to help his side to a 3-0 victory before to criticising the Nou Camp crowd for whistling Philippe Coutinho. 

In the return leg though, Liverpool achieved the near-impossible, a brace apiece from Georginio Wijnaldum and Divock Origi securing a 4-3 aggregate victory.