Barcelona star Messi thanks Georgia for making him feel at “home”

Georgian capital Tbilisi has been praised by leading European football figures for a "very well organised” UEFA Super Cup final that took place at the national stadium of Georgia last night.

"We are very satisfied with the stadium and with organising of the match,” said Luis Enrique, Manager of the winning Barcelona side after the match.

FC Barcelona and Sevilla FC played the UEFA Super Cup 2015 final at Dinamo Arena in Tbilisi. The extraordinary encounter of two of the world’s best teams saw many records set in the Georgian capital.

One of the most widely recognised football players in the world and FC Barcelona star Lionel Messi, who was named Man of the Match, praised host country Georgia and thanked the local audience for their support at a press conference after the game.

The Argentine scored twice last night and said the support from Tbilisi was phenomenal and it felt like he was playing on home soil.

"I've just been lucky enough to score those [two early free-kicks] and I'm very happy the team won and very grateful to everyone for their support and such a warm welcome,” he said.

"We seemed to be the home team [with immense support in the crowd]! It was like we were the hosts and we're very pleased to have won.”

"Feeling amazing in Tbilisi, Georgia” - Messi updated status on his Facebook page after the victory. 

The game was attended by the highest number of people ever having been to a Super Cup match. Official figures showed there were 51,490 football fans at Dinamo Arena last night.

Read more about Georgia’s first ever major final here.

Meanwhile the head of the Georgian Football Federation announced his resignation immediately after the match ended.

Federation president Zviad Sichinava, who has held the post since 2009, said this was the best time for him to go as he believed "any person should leave at the peak of their career and today was my peak”.

Last night’s UEFA Super Cup final was attended by local supporters and hundreds of international fans who came to Tbilisi to support the two Spanish clubs.

Several high ranking European political figures were also among the audience, including the Prime Ministers of Estonia and Romania.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and Barcelona star Leo Messi shake hands after the UEFA Super Cup final in Tbilisi, Georgia on August 11, 2015. Photo: the PM's press service.