The world of football has heard many iconic quotes about Messi. Lionel Messi is regarded as the greatest player of his generation, and arguably of all time. Therefore, it isn’t surprising to see several former legends of the game hail him as the best player in the world on a regular basis and praise him with iconic quotes.
Lionel Messi is the best player in the world and he is the best in both his era as well as when compared to the greatest legends in the history of the sport. While he is frequently compared to his Portuguese rival and Cristiano Ronaldo is good, but Messi is a genius of a different level and is a much more complete footballer.
Some of the biggest names in the world of football have frequently commented on and praised Messi for his ability, humility, character, achievements and greatness. Without further ado, let’s take a quick look at the most legendary quotes regarding Messi and the people who said it.
The most iconic quotes about Messi
| Appearances | 1020 |
| Goals | 804 |
| Assists | 355 |
Diego Maradona
“I have seen the player who will inherit my place in Argentinian football and his name is Messi.
He is beautiful to watch—my kind of player in our blue and white jersey.
He’s a leader and is offering classes in beautiful football.
He has something different to any other player in the world.”
This one is special given the kind of weight and place that Diego Maradona occupies in Argentina’s history and popular culture. Ever since his playing career ended, there have been several players who were labelled as the next Maradona but nobody managed to live up to the potential.
When Lionel Messi first burst on to the scene with Argentina and then with the national team, though, everyone was quick to agree that he was rightful successor to the throne of Diego Maradona and it received even more weight when the legendary World Cup winner himself approved the comparison.
Messi finally fulfilled his prophecy by leading Argentina to their third FIFA World Cup, 36 years after Maradona did.
Pep Guardiola
“He’s the best [ever], there is no other like him. The numbers speak for themselves. One day he’ll score six. We’ll never see a player like him again. We witnessed one of Messi’s special nights tonight, it’s a gift and I will always be able to say that I coached him.
The only credit I can take is that I always put him in the team and we just try to make sure he gets the ball. After that our task is done. The throne belongs to him and only he will decide when he wants to relinquish it.”
“Don’t write about him, don’t try to describe him, just watch him.”
“I tried making Lionel Messi the best player in the world, he ended up making me the best manager in the world.”
Pep Guardiola holds a special place in the career of Lionel Messi. Often described as the best coach of his generation, it was under Guardiola where Messi went from being a precociously talented teenager and a prodigious talent to being the outright best in the world and being the most consistent player.
Also Read: How many Guinness world records does Messi have?
Guardiola had the privilege to manage the peak years of Lionel Messi and the duo won two Champions League titles and three La Ligas together along with a host of other trophies. Messi’s partnership with Guardiola was truly history-setting and Guardiola never shies away from praising his former pupil with pride.
Ronaldinho
“The only regret is not playing more seasons with Lionel Messi.
He is my good friend. I could see even at a young age he was going to be the best. It was exciting to see this kid who could do things most players can only dream of.
Messi for the last three or four years has been the best player in the world—he has been at a level of consistency I don’t think the world has seen before.”
Much like Pep Guardiola, Brazilian superstar Ronaldinho had a major impact on the young Lionel Messi. When Messi first broke into the Barcelona first team, it was Ronaldinho who took him under his wing and treated him like a little brother.
Ronaldinho was the best player in the world back then but even during the prime of his career, he had told Kobe Bryant, that he wasn’t even the best player in Barcelona. That the title belonged to Messi, who was only 17 back then!
Although Ronaldinho left Barcelona in 2008 and Messi ended up inheriting his number 10 jersey, the two have maintained a great camaraderie over the years.
Angel Di Maria
“When I am an old man I will tell my grandchildren bedtime stories about when I won the Champions League, hopefully when I won the World Cup, but most of all I will tell them that their grandfather used to play with Lionel Messi.”
Angel Di Maria has had the fortune to play alongside both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in his career. However, it is the time he spends with Messi, playing for the Argentina national team that he considers to be more fond. Di Maria was essential to Argentina’s recent successes in both the Copa America and the FIFA World Cup, scoring in both finals.
Both Di Maria and Messi are extremely close given how they have practically grown up together playing for the national team and have seen both failure and success very closely together.
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, or seven. He is incomparable. He’s in a different league.”
“Thank God for Messi.”
“For football, Messi is a gem because he is a role model for every child in the world.
Barca play a type of football which delights everyone in the world and they have a coach with great human qualities, something that is extremely important nowadays.
Messi has a lot of quality and he fits in very well in the team.”
Johan Cruyff is one of the greatest minds that the sport of football has ever seen. Not only was he a legendary manager, but he was also a wonderful coach, tactician and philosopher whose teachings helped shape and form modern football today as we know it.
Also Read: Messi jersey number
Cruyff knows a talent when he sees one and he had spotted the potential of Messi very long ago, when he was still a kid at Barcelona’s La Masia academy. It’s funny that Cruyff’s prediction about Messi winning six or seven Ballon d’Ors came true which just goes to show the kind of genius that Cruyff himself was.
Arsene Wenger
“Who is the Best Player in the World? Leo Messi. Who is the Best Player Ever? Leo Messi!”
Arsene Wenger famously said this regarding a 22-year-old Messi who tore apart his Arsenal side and scored four goals in the Champions League against them at the Camp Nou. High praise from a great manager!
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.”
Zlatan Ibrahimovic played alongside Lionel Messi for a season. While Ibrahimovic is well known for his narcissistic quotes, the fact that even he has always praised Messi so highly just speaks volumes about how great a talent the Argentine is.
Hristo Stoichkov
“Once they said they can only stop me with a pistol. Today you need a machine gun to stop Messi.”
Hristo Stoichkov was one of the most ruthless strikers in the world during his prime and even has a Ballon d’Or to his name. Stoichkov made the relation of the only possible way of stopping Messi with a machine gun given that defences across Europe had no answers for his brilliance, especially in the prime of his career.
Xavi
“It is clear that Messi is on a level above all others. Those who do not see that are blind.
I am asked this question [is Messi the greatest player on the planet?] every season and every time I say the same thing. He’s a fantastic player and moreover, he is my friend.”
Xavi is another person who has seen and followed Messi’s career very closely, ever since he was a young teenager. The duo shared a great understanding on the pitch and Xavi was also like a mentor to Messi. Although they went their separate ways when Xavi left Barcelona in 2015, they still remain great friends and the Spanish World Cup winner always praises the Argentine whenever he gets the opportunity.
Also Read: Why did Messi leave Barcelona
Now a coach at Barcelona in the second phase of his career, Xavi hopes to manage his friend in the final few years of his career and is hoping for his return to Barcelona this summer.
Diego Simeone
“Diego filled us with emotions. But between the cracks, without doubt, Messi is better than Maradona.”
Diego Simeone is one of the biggest managerial names in the world and he has witnessed the terror that Lionel Messi is capable of harnessing as a player several times. Messi has a phenomenal record against his Atletico Madrid side and has always come up with the goods in big games.
This is one of the reasons why Simeone is well aware of the impact he is capable of and what an amazing player he is. This is what led him to admit that Messi was greater than Maradona even before the recent World Cup success.
FAQs
What are some of Peter Drury’s best quotes on Messi?
Peter Drury is a world class commentator who has called some of the greatest moments in Messi’s career. However, nothing comes close to his quotes on Messi after the World Cup final:
“Lionel Messi has conquered his final peak. Lionel Messi has shaken hands with paradise.”
“The little boy from Rosario, Santa Fe, has just pitched up in heaven. He climbs into a galaxy of his own. He has his crowning moment and of course he is not alone.”
“Lionel Messi a man, who has more than any other decorated our beautiful game…to receive from that game now, its most beautiful decoration. Messi’s meant to be moment. His fulfilment. His completion. It is done.”
What are the best Lionel Messi quotes?
Some of the best quotes from Lionel Messi are:
“I start early and I stay late, day after day, year after year. It took me 17 years and 114 days to become an overnight success.”
“You have to fight to reach your dream. You have to sacrifice and work hard for it.”
“I am a normal person. I have the same life as any human being. When I finish playing, doing my work, I have my family, my friends, and I live like any other person.”
“When I retire, I want to be remembered as a good guy.”
