Team Sky present personalised bike and jersey to 'massive cycling fan' Lionel Messi

Sir Dave Brailsford and Pinarello president Fausto Pinarello have jetted over to Spain to present Messi with a personalised DOGMA F8 bike and Team Sky jersey.

The pair made the trip to FC Barcelona's Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper training facility and met up with the likes of Neymar, Dani Alves and Luis Suarez before Messi, whom Sky declared was their 'most famous fan', was awarded with two very special gifts.

Messi was delighted to receive his fully-customised kit but the four-time Ballon d'Or winner was unable to take a ride on his new bike right away as he is recovering from a knee injury.

It was Team Sky mechanic David Fernandez who brought the presentation about. Fernandez and Messi share a mutual friend who asked about the possibility of getting Lionel a bike. Fernandez - a huge football fan - contacted Pinarello and Rapha immediately, who were both more than happy to provide the gifts.

Both companies went beyond the call of duty. Pinarello provided a custom paint job to the F8 frame with Messi's nickname and squad number embossed on the top tube, seat tube and forks, while Rapha printed the same details onto his sleeve as they do for our own staff and riders.

Messi loved both designs and couldn't believe his new bike featured electronic gears, according to Sky.

The 28 year old has followed cycling for a number of years and chatted about how he particularly loved watching the Tour de France mountain stages.

Messi was interested in learning about the science behind the bike, and how Team Sky's rigorous training programme compared to his own.