Lionel Messi is one of the greatest ever football players to have graced the football field. The Argentine is pure magic as he creates art on the pitch with the ball at his feet. The Barcelona legend and the current PSG superstar has turned 35 years yesterday, ie, 24th June.
So here we take a look at some of the greatest quotes about Lionel Messi from some of the iconic football figures over the years.
Read: Lionel Messi: Top 5 lesser-known facts in his career
Some of the best quotes on Lionel Messi as he turns 35 years
Pep Guardiola: “He is the best player I have ever seen. The best thing about him is not what he does but how simple he makes everything look.He is not just the best player because he can dribble past three or four players, it is because he does it better than anyone in the world.”
Diego Simeone: “Messi is undoubtedly the best player in the world. He’s the determining factor. He’s key, he controls the pace, he directs above all the team’s attack.”
Jürgen Klopp: “I have coached a few really good players. My dad liked Pele, but Messi is the best ever.”
José Mourinho: “Messi is the god of football. When Messi has the ball, one on one, you’re dead.”
Thiago Alcantara: “We give him the ball and stand back and watch. People often say to me they saw Pele and Maradona play. In the future, I will be able to say I saw Messi play.”
Tata Martino (ex-Barcelona manager): “He sees passes that most people can only see whilst watching the game on TV, not ones that you can normally see on the pitch.”
Johan Cruyff: “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.”
Neymar: “I played with Messi, who is, for me, one of the greatest footballers of all time, and he is my idol in football.”
Arsene Wenger: “Who is the Best Player in the World? Leo Messi. Who is the Best Player Ever? Leo Messi.”
Javier Mascherano: “Although he may not be human, it’s good that Messi still thinks he is.”
Samuel Eto’o: “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.”
Romario: “Newton and Einstein had a certain level of autism – I hope that, like them, Messi surpasses himself every day and continues to give us his beautiful brand of 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.”
Albert Ferrer (Former Barcelona and Chelsea star): “I played with Romario, Rivaldo, Ronaldo, Laudrup and Stoichkov but Messi is the best I’ve seen.”
Gerard Pique: “It feels good to be in the same generation as him. I believe he’s the best player in the history of the game.”
John Terry: “Lionel Messi is quite clearly the best player ever. It’s a pleasure to pit myself against him and when I finish my career it’s something I can look back on and know I’ve tested myself against the very best.”
Fabio Capello: “In my entire life I have never seen a player of such quality and personality at such a young age, particularly wearing the ‘heavy’ shirt of one of the world’s great clubs… Before a game, you can plan for everything. But Messi can produce a move that no-one expects and change the game in an instant.”
Mario Gomez: “I am not crazy enough to compare myself with Messi because he is the best there ever was and the best there will ever be.”
Adriano Galliani (AC Milano Chief): “Messi is the best player ever. And this is said by someone who has seen Maradona and Pele play.”
Felipe Scolari: “The only bad thing about Ronaldo’s life is Messi. If it was not for him, Ronaldo would be the best player in the world for five years in a row.”
Allegri: “For me, Messi is the best player in the world.”
Pochettino: “Messi doesn’t surprise me. He is the best in the world. With a lot of space it is unbelievable how he runs and dribbles.”
Luis Enrique: “Messi is Matrix. He’s able to stop the time and do whatever he wants. Apart from him, I have never seen anyone doing that. He is the best I’ve ever seen.”
Zinedine Zidane: “He is always going forwards. He never passes the ball backwards or sideways. He has only one idea, to run towards the goal. So as a football fan, just enjoy the show.”
Zlatan Ibrahimovic: “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.”
Gary Lineker: “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.”
Carlos Bilardo (Argentina WC 1986 winner Coach): “Messi defies the laws of anatomy, he must have an extra bone in his ankle.”
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar: “Who’s better, Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo? Messi. Ronaldo is good, but Messi is 10 times better.”
Dani Alves: “Messi has a divine gift.”
Tostão: “Messi is better than Maradona; he is more complete, more consistent, more spectacular. He is reinventing the game – a mix of the real and the virtual.”
Bacary Sagna: “He is the best in the world. Football seems easy when he plays it.”
Kobe Bryant: “I wear the number 10 Jersey for the US National Team in honour of the Greatest athlete I have ever seen: Messi.”
All quotes via Onefootball
Read: Lionel Messi becomes the second footballer in history to win 40 trophies
