Sevilla boss Pablo Machin reflected on his team’s defeat to Barcelona by showering praise on Lionel Messi.

The Argentine scored his 50th career hat-trick to guide Barcelona to a 4-2 victory over Sevilla as they twice came from behind on Saturday night.

Machin feels that Messi has developed a special liking towards Sevilla, given the forward has now struck 36 times in 35 games against them.

“We faced one of the best teams in the world and the best player in the world, who has got our number and seems to have taken a special liking to us,” Machin commented after the game when facing the press, according to Marca.

It was a frustrating match for Machin, who saw his team dominate proceedings before succumbing later in the game.

“In the end, the result is all that matters when, once again, we had a chance to win,” he claimed.

“It’s something to correct, I tell them that we have the chance to score a goal until the very last minute.”

However, the coach was optimistic about his team’s display on the night.

“Despite the bitter feeling of not having been able to win, we have done a lot of things well in the game,” he insisted.

“The players are 99 percent empty, from there I can’t say much more to them.”