Xavi Hernandez: Messi is the best player in history

The Spanish midfielder Xavi Hernandez, currently playing for Al-Sadd in Qatar, said on Thursday that his former teammate at Barcelona, Lionel Messi - captain of the Argentina national team - is the best football player in history and that he can play like Xavi, Sergio Busquets, Andres Iniesta and Luis Suarez.

"Messi can play like Xavi, Rakitic, Busquets, Iniesta, Suarez... He does everything well. If you put him as a center back, he would also be the best central defender in the world. If he wants to take the ball away from you, he steals it. If he wants to dribble you, he dribbles you. If he wants to make a pass, he provides the best assist in the world. If he takes free kicks, he scores them in the angle", Xavi said to La Nación newspaper.

Xavi also spoke about the similarity he has with the Argentine star Diego Maradona, "He is an incomparable footballer. He is like Maradona in his time, like Pele in his time. Now he is already the best football player in history. Messi is the best. Better than Iniesta, Xavi, Busquets. Why? Because he dominates every aspect of the game. Like we said before, Messi can play like Xavi, but Xavi can't play like Messi. And the same goes for the rest of the players", he added.

According to Xavi, the Argentina captain should receive the Ballon d'Or every year. In addition, he stated that "he doesn't need" to win a World Cup to be the best in history because, in his opinion, he already is.

"I haven't seen anyone better than him. I understand the consideration for (Diego) Maradona, he has been and is the idol of everyone. What he did with Argentina still surpasses the current generation of players, that's why there are people who say that Messi didn't do what Maradona achieved. I understand it, but in terms of football, Messi does what Maradona did 30 years later. In 2018, it's twice as hard, from a tactical, physical, technical, and mental standpoint", he affirmed.

Xavi revealed that it is a terrible frustration for Messi to have not won a title with Argentina because he feels very Argentinian and is very patriotic to his country. "He has had very bad luck in key moments. Losing two Copa Americas on penalties, a World Cup final in extra time. If football is fair, it owes something to Argentina in that sense. This generation of players deserved to have already won something. Let's see in the World Cup in Russia. Argentina, without a doubt, is one of the favorites", he concluded.

The other candidates are "the usual ones", Brazil, Germany, and then, in fourth place, Spain. "If there is any surprise, it could be Belgium, England, or France, although they are no longer a surprise because they have impressive players. That's where things are heading, I see Argentina and Brazil above the rest", he stated.

When asked about his future as a coach, he revealed that his priority is to continue playing "as long as his body holds up" and then become a coach. "In Qatar, they want me to stay involved with them until the 2022 World Cup to help them build a competitive team. I would like to help them. It won't be easy because we only have 6,000 players. I have the opportunity to start here as a coach. I already work closely with the current national team coach, Felix Sanchez, who is a friend of mine", he said.

EFE.