It’s not like I am going to Barcelona as a tourist who is there to watch Messi in action. I am not going to say that I will bench Busquets or anything! But I think I have a good chance of getting plenty of minutes.
If Messi is on top form, then his team can win everything.
In top form, Messi is the best footballer I have ever seen – period.
Messi is phenomental but in my opinion, Cristiano is a special player because he does everything for Madrid.
The only ones who would be happy if Messi doesn’t go to the World Cup would be Maradona fans because, that way, they can keep saying that he’s the best.
We should never have to do whatever Messi says. I did not pay attention to him, not even in the national team. But that is the myth that has been formed. But it is not just me: a lot of people have said it, but of course you won’t believe it from me… It is not me who is denying it. The facts deny it.
Messi and Ronaldo have dominated world football for a decade and, given the nature of football, at a certain point the baton will have to pass to someone else. I think Neymar has a great chance of filling that role.
Messi is a human being and we have to respect him.
Ronaldo is a fantastic player, he scores a lot of goals and is really complete, but what Messi does nobody else can or ever will do.
When my colleagues were back at home eating I’d still be practising and Ronaldo is the same, a real hard worker. I’m not a Barcelona fan but I very much admire Lionel Messi. I haven’t seen him train. I know Ronaldo a lot better.
I love Messi with the ball at his feet: he scores goals and does all the rest, too. But Cristiano’s numbers can’t be ignored. It’s a cruel comparison. Both of them deserve respect.
Messi will continue to break records.
My first year I scored 10 goals in La Liga. Then people started saying ‘yeah, the new Messi.’
Football is a socialist sport. Financially, some may receive more rewards than others but, from a footballing perspective, for 90 minutes, regardless of whether you are Lionel Messi or the substitute right-back for Argentina, you are all working to the same end.
Man-marking Messi is almost impossible.
You can put the players on the pitch but they always move and systems change. I think, though, that Messi has to be a special case and that the other nine outfield players should support him. But one player on his own is not going to win you the World Cup.
Messi has the best technique in the world.
Sticking to a routine helps you get in the zone for the match. I always put my left shinpad on before my right. When I go out onto the pitch, I take three hops on my left leg – but I don’t know why I started. I must have seen Messi do it or something.
Cristiano Ronaldo is big and strong, but Messi’s technique is pure class.
Without Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, we would discuss Robben more often and with more appreciation.
Messi often has a crowd of opponents around him, but with Neymar on the pitch, too, at least two of those opposition players will have to be aware of him.
Argentina is immensely better with him than without him. They should be proud to have Messi in their national team.
Of course you have Messi and Ronaldo. And then you’ve got a lot of players who are very close to each other and I think Gareth Bale is one of them, like at the level of the best teams in the world. He could play for every team in the world. For me he’s a world class player.
Barcelona is the best education possible. Training with Messi is something I will never forget – he was always the last off the pitch and working incredibly hard in the gym. If he is the best player in the world and works so hard, who are we? You can have all the crazy talent but you need to work.
I would like to play with Messi; it would be amazing. He is the best of the world, the one who makes more differences.
Ronaldo? He is the most dangerous player at Real. It is hard to stop him, like Messi, because both score a lot of goals, and you never know what is going to be the next thing they will invent for scoring.
I will always vote for Messi for Golden Ball.
I sometimes think that life is a circle. See, I cannot get away from genius. At Barca, I had Messi. At Juve, I have Paulo Dybala. Genius follows me everywhere, I swear.
I don’t want to disrespect anyone, but it’s clear that any team which has the chance to play with Messi, Suarez, and Neymar has devastating attacking power, which any coach would love at his disposal.
Playing against Messi, as I’ve said before, is as tough a test of your concentration as any in football. At any moment, he can take the mickey out of you. Physically, it is demanding, but mentally even more so. You cannot switch off.
Like everyone else, I thought Messi was the best player in the world, and to be here with him now is a fantastic honour. It’s a great experience watching him in training and in matches… the way he can transform a match is unbelievable.
The Liga is a tough league, but I’m inspired by players like Neymar and Messi. You have to work very hard to reproduce what they do, especially Neymar.
There is Messi, and then the rest.
Ronaldo is a fantastic player, one of the best I’ve ever seen, but he’s been a bit unfortunate to be of the same generation as Messi. Consequently, they have to share the limelight.
I’m not going to tell Messi how to live his life – or anyone else, for that matter.
Lionel Messi is not human. He is from another galaxy.
Messi is the best player in the world. If he wins a World Cup, he will be the best player ever.
When people mention me and Messi together, it’s amazing because, to me, Messi is the best of the best. You can’t say anything to him; he’s the boss.
I respect his decisions, but football without Messi is not football. It is very hard to imagine football without him.
I think Cristiano and Lionel Messi are two of the best players in the history of the game. Are they better than Pele or Diego Maradona? They are at the top, but I think it is difficult in football to say who is first or second or third.
Ronaldo is just an athlete. He works so hard and back to back; he is always there. But if you work hard, can you be like Messi? No, that’s impossible. Can you be like Ronaldo? Yes, to a certain extent.
I’m a Ronaldo fan as well, and for me, they’re the top two players in the world. But for me, Messi is the kind of player that can do anything.
Barcelona is the best club in the world, and I am looking forward to playing with some of the best players in the world, such as Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi. I will do everything possible to contribute to this team.
As a finisher, there are few players as composed as Messi. When you can score as many different kinds of goal as he can, you have every reason to be confident.
It’s impossible to describe Messi. I like him so much, and I always say I feel so sad because he never won the World Cup with Argentina. It is an award he deserves because a world-class player like him must be a world champion.
Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, they play on a different galaxy.
Messi is an alien that dedicates himself to playing with humans.
From the moment Messi was introduced, we all knew he was a unique talent. I remember Deco and Ronaldinho immediately realised how special he was, and they took him under their wing.
I respect Messi a lot.
Messi is from another planet.
I get asked a lot about players like Lionel Messi and Neymar and people seem to have the idea that they don’t do any work because they have a God-given talent. That is just not true, they work all the time, they are totally dedicated and that’s why they are where they are.
Messi is the best in the world – there is no question about that.
We are just lucky to be able to watch Ronaldo and Messi at their best.
Leo Messi is a little football God. I love playing alongside him. We understand each other without needing to talk.
Everybody has the clarity of telling I haven’t seen a player like Lionel Messi, and I am fortunate for training and seeing him every day at the training field. And even sometimes he surprises you with some good performances. There is not comparison with other players I have seen along my life. He is unique.
Playing alongside Messi is special for me. He’s a player I always wanted to play with. I have played against him with Brazil, but to play alongside him is a privilege.
Who could say no to playing with Messi for four months and then coming back to L.A.?
I love Messi. I also derive inspiration from the god of cricket, Sachin Tendulkar.
Messi is a good stimulus for Cristiano.
To play against Cristiano and Messi, it is always complicated.
I’d never look at someone and think he’s better than me, unless it’s Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi.
I can mark Messi only in my dreams.
PSG to sign Messi? Yes, why not. Or Karim Benzema or Robert Lewandowski. But I would prefer Neymar.
Messi gets kicked by everybody, and he gets up and carries on. Doesn’t scream, doesn’t fake injury.
If you give Messi a metre, he’ll snatch the ball and leave you behind.
They are different footballers. For me, Cristiano has more points in his favour because he heads the ball well, he is stronger and he scores goals. Messi has quality, dribbles and scores goals. For a coach, I think Cristiano is better because he is more complete.
