Argentina and Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi turns 31 today with the striker considered to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest player in the history of the sport. Messi has won everything there is to win both at club level and individually, leading Barcelona to nine La Liga titles, six Copa del Rey’s and four UEFA Champions League trophies.
On the personal front, the Argentinian has a slew of records to his name and is Barcelona’s record goalscorer with 637 goals in just 552 appearances in all competitions while also winning five Ballon d’Or awards, a record he currently shares with Cristiano Ronaldo.
If there is one area where he is yet to taste success, then it is with the national team with Messi a losing finalist at the 2014 World Cup and the 2015, 2016 Copa America. Despite this there is no doubt that he will go down as one the greatest ever to grace the football field.
A number of past and present legendary players have been in awe of his talent and have spoken to the media praising his qualities.Let’s take a look at the 10 best quotes on the man that is Lionel Messi.
1) “For me, to watch Messi play is a pleasure – it’s like having an orgasm – it’s an incredible pleasure.” – Luis Figo
2) “This Barca will be remembered as Messi’s Barca. He’s well above anything else I’ve ever seen. He’s an alien.” – Carles Puyol
3) “Messi is the best in the world without any doubt and for me the history of football.” – Luis Enrique
4) “Messi is God, as a person and even more as a player. I knew him when he was a boy and I’ve watched him grow. He deserves it all.” – Samuel Eto’o
5) “Messi is class. There is him, and then there is the rest. What he does is extraordinary.” – Franck Ribery
6) “For the world of football, Messi is a treasure because he is a role model for children around the world… Messi will be the player to win the most Ballons d’Or in history. He will win five, six, seven. He is incomparable. He’s in a different league.” – Johan Cruyff
7) “I have played against Platini, Maradona, Cruyff and played with George Best — a lot of big names, but none of them has been able to do what Messi does. Two years ago I said that the best player I played against was Maradona and the best player I have played with was Bestie. But I can now say I have never seen a player as good as Messi. He’s in a league of his own.” – Terry Armstrong
8) “Who is the Best Player in the World? Leo Messi. Who is the Best Player Ever? Leo Messi.” – Arsene Wenger
9) “Messi does not need his right foot. He only uses the left and he’s still the best in the world. Imagine if he also used his right foot, Then we would have serious problems.” – Zlatan Ibrahimovic
10) “Fella’s a genius. Best ever by a distance in my life time. Never really saw Pele… Souness, Gullit, Venables and now Rooney agree Messi is the best they have seen. He plays a game with which we are not familiar.” – Gary Linekar
