SuggestedLeadIn: Reaction from Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu and Real Madrid director Emilio Butragueno in Monaco following the draw for the UEFA Champions League group stages on Thursday (27th August).

Script: SOUNDBITE: (English) Josep Maria Bartomeu, Barcelona president (On Lionel Messi winning the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award):

"Well we knew it, Leo Messi is the best player in the world and we know that he desires, he works, he makes a lot of effort in the matches and his confidence is incredible, so that's why they give him a trophy like the best player of Europe, as I think next January in the FIFA Ballon d'Or - well Leo Messi is the best player in the world, so it's normal that he has everything, he is the best one."

SOUNDBITE: (English) Josep Bartomeu, Barcelona president (Q: Having missed out on the Ballon d'Or over the last two years how much of a boost is it to Messi to win the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award?):

"He is doing this year a very great season, we win of course the Copa del Rey, the Champions (League) and also the European Super Cup and now we have the (FIFA) Club World Cup finals in Tokyo and i hope we can win this and have five titles this year. Only for this Leo Messi and all the team merit the Ballon d'Or."

SOUNDBITE: (English) Emilio Butragueno, Real Madrid director (Is this the most difficult group draw that Real Madrid have had for a while?):

"We don't know how the Champions League is. We will have to play at our highest level if we want to go through to the next round. So we'll see, it's going to be a very even group with six difficult matches, PSG has a very, very strong squad, not just the staring eleven, because it is a squad full of international stars, some players who can win a game on their own. It is going to be difficult, we know that, but at the same time we know that if we play at our level of course we'll have our chances to qualify."