It comes to something when even Pep Guardiola looks surprised. After all, the former Barcelona coach has seen the Lionel Messi show many times before. He helped to construct it, to hone it. He could claim part-copyright. On the training fields of Barcelona’s Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper training centre, on the slick, wet grass of the Nou Camp and at the best European stadia, Guardiola has watched Messi make fools of many. Here on Wednesday night, however, as the current coach of Bayern Munich chose to return to his spiritual home, even he was left gasping, gaping and giggling at another night of remarkable productivity and beauty from the greatest footballer those of us on the south side of 50 have ever seen. Lionel Messi runs with the ball as the Barcelona man produces yet more genius at the Nou Camp . Messi evades the tackle as he runs towards goal during the UEFA Champions League clash on Wednesday . Messi (centre) holds off the challenge of Manchester City's David Silva (left) as Barcelona progress . Read Martin Samuel's match report from the Nou Camp as Barcelona beat Manchester City 1-0 to progress to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League. Messi’s free-kicks weren’t up to much on Wednesday. Three times he had the opportunity to beat Joe Hart from just outside the penalty area. Three times the ball flew over the crossbar. It was, in some ways, good to see that he isn’t perfect, that he does make mistakes. After all, if we accept that we have the first flawless footballer in our midst then where do we go from there? Pretty much everything else, however, was exemplary and it was a nutmeg on James Milner by the near touchline in the first half that provoked one of the most memorable reactions of the season from Guardiola. As Milner disappeared in to a place no footballer ever wishes to go, Messi was away up the field, scampering towards the retreating figures of Vincent Kompany and Martin Demichelis with savage intent. On nights like this, Messi will terrify the best defenders and, here, City’s pair resembled pedestrians stranded on the central reservation of a motorway. Lots of footballers can pull tricks, of course. Messi isn’t the only one with the moves. The key to his majesty, however, is that none of it is ever for show. He does it because he can but also because it works, because it wins matches. At times here he made the English champions look like a desperate, disparate bunch. If this is to be Manuel Pellegrini’s final act in Europe as manager of City then he will leave with Messi’s scampering image burned on to the back of his eyes. James Milner approaches Barcelona star Messi during their Champions League tie on Wednesday . Messi slips the ball through Manchester City midfielder Milner's legs at the Nou Camp . Milner slides as Messi nutmegs him and goes the opposite way during their Champions League match . Milner is left on his backside as Messi runs away from the England international with the ball . Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola (centre) reacts to the ridiculous skill from Messi during the match . A ‘nutmeg’ is the technique of rolling the ball between an opponent’s legs, and gains extra acclaim when the attacking player retains possession after performing the trick. The origins of the word have long been debated, with the most popular theory being that nutmegs are slang for a rather private area of the male anatomy — a notion put forward by Countdown star Susie Dent, of Dictionary Corner, who tweeted: ‘Nutmegging in football comes from the centuries-old slang ‘nutmegs’, meaning ‘testicles’. In case Messi is ever interested.’ However, the use of the word nutmeg to mean leg in Cockney rhyming slang has also been put forward as an explanation, while another claim is that it comes from the practice used in nutmeg exports between America and England in the 18th century, when nutmegs were such a valuable commodity that unscrupulous exporters used to mix wooden replicas into the sacks being shipped across the Atlantic. Being nutmegged soon came to imply stupidity on the part of the duped victim and cleverness on the part of the trickster. It later caught on in football, implying that the player whose legs the ball had been played through had been tricked, or, nutmegged. In Spanish, the skill is known as ‘cano’ or ‘tunel’. They’ve certainly got plenty of tunel vision at the Nou Camp thanks to Lionel Messi. When City look back on the goal that effectively ended this tie, they will ask questions. Was Bacary Sagna right to track Neymar all the way infield, allowing scorer Ivan Rakitic to proceed unimpeded from deep? If Sagna was not at fault then who was supposed to be tracking the runners? For the visiting team the tactical debrief will not be pleasant. There was a poverty about their football at times. Here in Catalonia, however, the locals will have taken home only memories of the way that Messi drifted infield from the right, dragging City defenders towards him like moths before lifting the perfect pass in to Rakitic’s path. This is what the really great players do. They create panic and prompt rash decisions. They destroy tactical plans. They do, as much as is humanly possible in a sport involving 22 players, win games all on their own. Not long after Barcelona’s goal, Messi did pretty much the same thing again. This time he got a lucky bounce off his own face as he moved forwards but once again the chipped pass was perfect. Once again Sagna was distracted by the darting Neymar but this time, somehow, there was no goal. It was to become a pattern. City didn’t help themselves. Kompany began dreadfully and hardly improved. Demichelis looked paralysed – perhaps he was just too aware of what his international team-mate can do – while City’s central midfield players failed palpably once again to locate the Barcelona midfield players queuing up to adorn Messi’s creative work. At times they resorted to simply fouling Messi. Even David Silva retreated back to his own 18-yard line to crudely halt his passage towards goal. That, in its own way, was one of the night’s most telling images. Messi (centre) is congratulated by Martin Demichelis (left) and Silva at full-time at the Nou Camp . Messi looks to break through as he terrorises the Manchester City defence on Wednesday . Messi shoots towards goal but his effort is saved by Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart (right) Ivan Rakitic (left) scores the only goal of the game past Hart as Barcelona run out 1-0 winners . Messi congratulates team-mate Rakitic on scoring the opener at the Nou Camp on Wednesday . Crudeness and violence, though, will never distract Messi. That is one of the many traits he shares with his great rival in Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo. In to the second half and his appetite indeed remained strong. He touched the ball three times within ten seconds of the restart and two minutes later drove a shot towards goal that Hart beat away. At the death Hart denied him again at the end of a 70-yard thrust that Messi began and almost finished. The City goalkeeper got the better of Messi at the end of the first leg, of course. He saved his penalty and Messi shovelled the rebound wide. Maybe that memory drove him on Wednesday night but it’s doubtful. Revenge is a motivation for the mortal. Messi is different. He’s just a genius. England legend Gary Lineker settled the argument of who's better between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo . Former Chelsea player Andre Schurrle wrote about Messi's nutmegs: 'Again and again and again...' Manchester United's Ashley Young was among those admiring the Barcelona star and wrote: 'Messi WOW' Queens Park Rangers striker Charlie Austin wrote that Guardiola's reaction said it all about Messi's skills . Liverpool defender Jose Enrique wrote Messi could play against City on his own and 'still win the game' Stoke City goalkeeper Jack Butland echoed Gary Neville by 'watching the game with my legs closed' Darts player Adrian 'Jackpot' Lewis wrote on Twitter that 'Messi could nutmeg a mermaid' Former Manchester United and now-Leicester City forward Tom Lawrence added: 'Messi is a joke'
Pep Guardiola looked surprised by the Lionel Messi show on Wednesday . Barcelona beat Manchester City 1-0 to progress to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League . Messi's nutmeg on James Milner provoked a memorable Guardiola reaction .