Lionel Messi offers kind gesture to fan for iconic photo

It was one of the most astonishing nights the Nou Camp had ever seen. Barcelona overturned a first-leg deficit of 4-0 to beat Paris Saint-Germain 6-1 and progress through to the Champions League quarter-finals.

The most improbable of comebacks, which may happen only once in a career if you are lucky. That famous night in Barcelona will live long in the memory of everyone who witnessed it.

And photographer Santiago Garces was on hand to capture the elation in an iconic photo of Lionel Messi being hoisted in the air by the Barca faithful.

Messi, a four-time Champions League winner with the Catalan giants, boasts a stunning career to-date, but even he must chalk that night down as one of the most momentous in his career.

As Sergi Roberto’s 95th-minute winner sailed beyond Kevin Trapp, Messi made a bee-line for the stands. He hopped the advertising boards and celebrated with the fans, a moment which has now become synonymous with the occasion.

Garces has described it as the ‘photo of his life’. It embodies the adoration Barcelona fans have for Messi, a trait the photographer believes is incomparable.

In an interview with Marca, Garces said, ‘I love to photograph my children, but it can’t be compared to this.

‘The image sums up the collective euphoria and the historic feat. Messi is out of his mind and in the time I’ve been working for Barcelona, I’ve never seen him celebrate like that.’

The Mexican moved to Catalonia in 2000 and started working in the marketing department at the Nou Camp four years ago.

Roberto’s last-gasp goal booked Luis Enrique’s side a place in the last-eight of Europe’s elite competition and will provide yet more opportunities to capture heart-pumping moments in this campaign.

The dramatic turnaround ranks as one of the greatest Champions League nights since the advent of the competition and a feat which the Spanish giants will hope to build on in the next round.