Barcelona and Spanish legend, Xavi Hernández, has yet again praised Lionel Messi as the best footballer on the planet and should not be compared to his rival, Cristiano Ronaldo.
According to the former Barcelona midfielder in an interview with Marca, he said Messi’s ability to adapt to different tactics and work as a team player gives him the edge, while Ronaldo is inflexible and limited in terms of his ability to adapt to different tactical strategies.
‘Messi is a master in the collective and individual senses. But for Ronaldo, that kind of linking up takes a lot. Messi does everything well.
‘If a coach were to say, “We’re going to play with us all running back” then Messi would also be the best at that.
‘If you ask Ronaldo to play with one or two touches then I don’t know if he would be the best.
‘Ronaldo is [the best] as a shooter, he’s incredible at that and is a historic player.
‘But with Messi you cannot compare. He is the best player at Barcelona and he would also be the best if playing for [Diego] Simeone’s Atletico Madrid.’
Xavi, who now plays for Al Sadd in Qatar after leaving Barca in 2015, also said he and many of his former team-mates became better footballers because of Messi.
‘Messi makes any player better. The whole group made me better, because I need all my team-mates.’
‘I can’t do things alone, I’m not that strong and am better in positional play, knowing where my team-mates are.’
Xavi who captained Barcelona before leaving for Al Sadd in Qatar, made 505 appearances and scored 58 goals for the Spanish club.
