Pep Guardiola “Put in the superlatives yourselves, I’m running out. It’s already been a while now that he has been outstanding. He’s more than decisive in every way. That he’s capable of doing everything that he does at his age is something impressive, that doesn’t make any sense. “The best players are always in the thick of the action. (Michael) Jordan did it with the Bulls, (Kobe) Bryant does it with the Lakers and Leo does it here. We want him to stay with us because he’s the best and we wouldn’t swap him for anyone.” “Messi is an irreplaceable player, today if he was here we would have won 5-0 but he was not and we had to play another in his place.” Fabio Capello Christiano knows English, Messi knows football Diego Maradona “I have seen the player who will inherit my place in Argentine football and his name is Messi. Messi is a genius and he can become an even better player.” “His potential is limitless and I think he’s got everything it takes to become Argentina’s greatest player.” “Messi I think is like me, he is the best in the world along with Ronaldinho.” Frank Rijkaard “He’s a unique player and he deserves it, because he can do things of almost imperceptible excellence and is a gem to watch.” Leo’s goals are works of art.” Johann Cruyff “He deserves ten out of ten for doing what he does. He is a sensation, but still he can improve. He must know when to move the ball on quickly and when to try the impossible mission. When he learns this, he won’t win a single Golden Ball, but an entire collection.” Ruud Gullit He is already the best in the world and it is also all about the work he does without the ball. He wants to tackle back and get the ball. He is an exceptional talent. I still think Diego Maradona is the best player I have ever seen – but Messi is closing in fast. Hes a wonderful sight in full flight and we are lucky to have him around. Carlos Tevez “His speed is astonishing. It’s amazing how he can go 1 to 100 in just one second. I’m constantly around great players like Cristiano and Rooney, But this guy is just a step up above every other great footballer out there at the moment, Not only is he quick, determined, and extremely intelligent on the ball, but his movement off the ball is just as fantastic – unbelievable to sum it up in a word.” Juan Sebastian Veron “I see Maradona every time he grabs the ball and accelerates. We must protect him. I’d personally put him in a drawer of my bedside table.” Gilberto “Messi’s plaudits are hard to accept, we play in other countries and we do not see the local fans supporting our players there. Over 40 thousand Brazilians applauded, and that’s hard for who is on the field. When I see them applauding Messi I get annoyed.” Julio Grondona “Without Messi there isn’t a team for Argentina, Messi is brilliant, different, with a strong mentality. Let’s hope he doesn’t change.” Jose Mourinho “The best way to stop Messi is when you play with 11 men and then you can double mark him, one player to stay on him and the other to help out. If it is 11 against 10 then you have almost no chance of stopping him.” Karl-Heinz Rummenigge “Nobody was so wonderful at 19 years, neither Pele nor Maradona.” Fernando Gago “For me, the best in the world is Messi because of the way he plays, moves with the ball and changes matches, Messi has incredible ability and I love the way that he plays.” “Messi is the best player in the world by some way, I always thank God that he is an Argentine, not just as a player, but as a person too. I have known him since I was 18, he is incredible, a very good person and we are very good friends. Right now, he is at another club, and we have a little bit of a rivalry, but the friendship is larger and stronger.” Theirry Henry “I have the possibility to watch Messi in training each morning, and because of what he demonstrates he is the best player in the world, he stated during a press conference. It is a pleasure to watch him, and because of the way he plays he is an undisputed leader of the Barcelona team.” “What Leo does is so incredible that I have to be careful not to stand still watching him make his moves.” Antonio Cassano “Ronaldinho is better than Cristiano Ronaldo, but neither are as good as Leo Messi.” Sergio Aguero “Nowadays, Messi is better than Ronaldinho. He is the best footballer in the world right now. And I’m not the only who says so. Everyone who has seen him play says so too.” Pele “I knew when we gave Kaka the FIFA World Player of the Year award that he (messi) would become the best player in the world. With young people like him we need patience and that is the problem we have in Brazil.” Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva( Brazilian president) “When I see Messi – who is the best player in the world in my opinion – lose the ball, he runs off until he gets it back or commits a foul. Our guys lose the ball and fold their arms.” Juan Laporta “This year at Barcelona team spirit is dominating but players like Messi show there is individuality too. He is a virtuoso player who is determined and fast with the ball at his feet….he is a mixture of Maradona and Cruyff.” Carles Puyol “He is a spectacular player, there is nobody else like him. I should not because I have suffered so much in training. I think he is the best forward at the moment and I think he will be so for many more years. He has his feet on the ground.” Cesc Fabregas “He has a great future if he can stay clear of injuries. For me, he is the best there is.” Ronaldinho [On receiving the Ballon d’Or in 2006] “This award says I’m the best player in the world, but I’m not even the best player at Barcelona.” “Every time he plays, Leo Messi reminds me more of Maradona, both left-footed and short, Messi is the best player in the world, along with Kaká and Cristiano Ronaldo. For us it is not a surprise. Since he began to come and train with us and we knew we would go down this path. Someday I will explain that I was at the birth of one of the footballing greats: Leo Messi.” Txiki Begiristain “He is priceless. Right now, in Messi, Barcelona has the best soccer player on planet Earth.” Marcello Lippi “The best? Messi” Daniel Alves “Lionel Messi? When I played against him at Sevilla it was always very difficult, so now I’m pleased that we’re on the same side. He’s just fantastic.” Mikel Arteta “It is as if someone commands him from the stands, like a video game. I have never seen a human run with the ball at that speed. I have not seen Maradona so I cannot compare, but Messi is simply unbeatable.” Raul “The other day I saw one of his games. He was running with the ball at a hundred percent full speed, I don’t know how many touches he took, maybe five or six, but the ball was glued to his foot. It’s practically impossible!” Xavi “It is clear that Messi is on a level above all others. Those who do not see that are blind.” I am asked this question [is Messi the greatest player on the planet?] every season and every time I say the same thing. Hes a fantastic player and moreover he is my friend. Frank Lampard He has improved since we played them in 2009 and he was a fantastic player then, The levels he has taken his game to is something I have never seen before. I grew up on Maradona. He was my idol and I think Messi has taken it to higher levels than him. To get close to 70 goals is crazy. He deserves it. He is the best player in the world. Johnny Heitinga “I believe that I played well against Barcelona, the problem was that Lionel Messi was simply unstoppable.” Arsene Wenger “Messi’s like a PlayStation. He can take advantage of every mistake we make. He made the impossible possible. He has something exceptional. He has six or seven years in front of him, touchwood that nothing happens to him, and he can reach unbelievable levels. “In the biggest games, exceptional players still make the difference. Messi is the best player in the world, and by a distance His team work to get him moving and once hes on the run, Messi is unstoppable. Hes the only player who can change direction at such a pace. Hristo Stoichkov Once they said they can only stop me with a pistol but today you need a machine gun to stop him. Sergio Ramos Since the fist time I saw him play I have always said he surprised me, and he has done every day since. José Aurelio Gay [Real Zaragoza coach speaking after their recent 4-2 defeat to Barca] “Tonight, I saw Diego Maradona, but at more revs per minute. There are no words left to describe him – he is interplanetary. We could have beaten Barcelona but we could never have beaten Leo Messi. If we had scored four, he would have scored 12.” Ander Herrera [Real Zaragoza playmaker that night] “I’m not sure he’s human.” Christian Gross “I think he is certainly one of the best in the world and people are right to make comparisons with Diego Maradona. It’s amazing when you think he is still only 22 years old. He’s just a fantastic player.” Ossie Ardiles Messi is out of this planet, I would say he is so far ahead of the rest of the players playing right now and I would say historically as well. There are not words to describe him. Lionel Messi Diego is Diego and for me he is the greatest player of all time. Even after a million years I am not even going to be close to Maradona. I have no intention of comparing myself with Maradona – I want to make my own history for something I have achieved.
Posted on: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 14:36:13 +0000
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