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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.
Messi would never tell a coach who he has to play or not. I think he not only lacks the power to do that but also is not humanly capable of saying that.
Messi is always compared to Maradona, but he needs to win the World Cup because if you don't win the World Cup, you can't be up there with the very best.
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.
Ronaldo is brilliant, Messi more my kind of player. He sees the game so clearly. He can score, create; he's the complete player - the best ever, probably.
It is obvious that it is nice for any player to know he is wanted by a team like Barcelona, with Guardiola as coach, and with players like Messi or Puyol.
I look at Messi, and he makes me laugh. A beautiful footballer who is still like a kid. A world superstar, but still a kid. Innocent, you know. He just plays.
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.
Look at the best dribblers in the world, Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta, and the ball seems to stick to their foot, so I can work on that when I am dribbling.
I've never had an idol, but I watched Ronaldinho and then players like Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi. They are so good, it's impossible not to notice them.
Cristiano Ronaldo is sensational, a very good professional, an incredible goalscoring machine for many years, but Messi is the most complete player I have seen.
He was always brilliant, but when Pep Guardiola started to use him as a 'false' No. 9, he got even better. It's impossible to be more of a footballer than Messi.
If Messi didn't have it clearly in his head that Barcelona have a winning project, maybe he would go, but Barcelona are always looking to have a winning project.
I was lucky enough to play with Zidane, Ronaldo, Figo, Cristiano... but Messi is different; he makes everything look so easy, so effortless - even the impossible.
I've had the opportunity to play with Neymar on the national team. Now I'm playing alongside Messi. He's a different player, but he's the best player in the world.
I think Leo Messi is going to be the best player of all time. Yes, I also think that some Golden Balls have been lost along the way and that he could have even more.
Who's destined to be the next world star and collector of Ballon d'Or when Cristiano and Messi stop playing? It's the Frenchman Kylian Mbappe, a truly unique player!
I do not feel like I am on par with Messi and Ronaldo yet. I need to win trophies to match them. I try to help my team and country as good as possible to do just that.
Some people like Messi didn't have to learn a lot as his is a natural style. But of course you can improve your technique, your football intelligence, your everything.
Messi is an extraordinary player, but your squad is pivotal: at a World Cup, the 11 players on the pitch and everyone else in the group can all play an important role.
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.
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.
There are people you can say you have seen play, such as Pele or Maradona. But Messi is unique, out on his own, and is going to make history. I can say I saw Messi play.
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.
I think that the best player in the world should be quiet, humble, and friendly. Lionel Messi is all of these things, while Cristiano often lacks some of these qualities.
No one would ever take Messi out of a match if the teams are evenly matched. But it can be done in matches where we take a big lead. This way, he can preserve his fitness.
Whenever I'm asked about Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi, I always answer: 'Neymar is the best,' not just because of his goals but because of the ease with which he plays.
Maradona and Messi played in different times and in different positions. Messi is much more a striker, Diego was all over the entire pitch. They are two extraordinary players.
Of course, Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi make a lot of goals, but what Ronaldinho used to do was unbelievable. He used to be amazing on the field, and also scored a lot of goals.
I think I respect everyone votes and everyone must respect my votes. My vote bdo in 2015 was for [Lionel] Messi because, for me, he had an amazing season and he deserved to win.
If Messi has the ball, he is fantastic to watch and difficult to stop. You have to double up on him, triple up on him even, stay with him constantly to block his way to the goal.
I admire Messi: he's never complained to me in any game we played, but I've also never asked him for his jersey and never would. I came to win, not to say I played against Messi.
I have a lot of respect for Messi and for everything that he has achieved. He is very humble. But it's crucial to show authority when we meet on the pitch and show him who's boss.
Obviously, training at Barcelona is a fantastic experience. You train alongside players like Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta, who are clearly some of the best players in the world.
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, Ronaldo, Neymar - Kane has been on that level. He is one of those players that is irreplaceable and I am sure that Tottenham will be doing all they can to make sure he stays.
They are among the three best in the world: Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar are the three best players in the world and I'm happy I have one of them playing alongside me.
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.
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.
Messi does not need his right foot, though. 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!
I don't need to speak with my colleagues in the national side to know what kind of player Messi is. He's one of the best players in the history of football and very difficult to stop.
What can you say about Messi? A guy who has won five Ballon d'Ors, four Champions Leagues and has scored 97 goals in a year. There is no need to win a World Cup to certify that talent.
Everyone says Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi, but I would have love to have played with Luka Modric. I think he's an incredible player, really strong mentally and a pure footballer.
Messi could maybe get away with not trying 100% because he's the best player in the world. But he's the first at training. He's very professional. He was very good to watch and learn from.
Iniesta deserved to win the Ballon d'Or. To win it, you have to be lucky that the attackers have not done so well. If Messi and Ronaldo score 50 or 60 goals, they will always give it to them.
As far as I see it you just can't give Messi space in the dangerous areas - we have to close him down, get tight and give him as little room as we can because if you don't, he can destroy you.
There is no doubt about it, Messi's clearly the best player in the world. He's a phenomenon who has already won everything, but is still hungry for more. His humbleness only makes him greater.
I have never been concerned about winning the Ballon d'Or or being the best player in the world. The best player is already here and that's Messi. And now I can see him from close up and help him.
Considering Messi's quality and everything he represents, I don't think I've seen him playing with a guy following him around the pitch the entire time with the sole purpose of not letting him play.
I don't have to prepare any differently because it's Messi, because every day in training I am up against people like Rooney, Berbatov, Ronaldo, and Tevez, so you know what to do against big players.