Barcelona legend Carles Puyol hails Lionel Messi as best ever
Carles Puyol is all praise for Lionel Messi.
The goal against Real Valladolid took Lionel Messi on a goal clear of Pele’s legendary, one club goal record. Pele achieved an insane 643 goals with Brazilian club Santos but now his South American compatriot has beaten that record with Barcelona. It is yet another record for the Argentine legend and former teammate, Carles Puyol claims that Messi is the best footballer ever to have graced this world.
More from Everything Barca
- FC Barcelona tracking Belgian Wonderkid
- FC Barcelona vs Betis Player Ratings
- Barça boss Xavi to get contract extension
- FC Barcelona planning swoop for Arsenal midfielder
- Barcelona interested in €30 million wonderkid
Puyol in an interview with Goal, during Messi’s celebration by Budweiser, recognized him as the greatest of all time, saying that he is grateful to have played with Messi and the current generation. He also firmly believes the Argentine is the best player in the world currently and his new achievement cements his legacy.
"“If you ask me who Michael Jordan is, I will say that he is the best basketball player in history, I think Messi will have the same status – the best footballer of all time. It is also talked about whether Michael Jordan is the best in history, and these are opinions, and sometimes it is difficult to be objective. It is difficult for a Real Madrid fan to recognize that Messi is the best.”Source Goal"
The former Barcelona captain recognizes the difficulty of the new generation to recreate what Messi has done. Some would say achieving this feat is impossible but Puyol is hopeful that in the future there will be another player like Messi who will surpass the Argentine’s own records.
"“Now, we say no, but hopefully in the future, there will be someone better. For football and sports lovers, it would be good because we would see incredible things.”"
Speaking on the things that the legend is yet to achieve, Puyol recognizes the importance of an international trophy. One can be the best club footballer in history but to go down as a national hero, he must win an international trophy. The Spanish center-back himself is considered a national legend due to his semi-final goal in 2010 which helped them reach the finals of the FIFA World Cup, which they eventually won.
Messi has two more chances of securing a trophy for his country, the Copa America 2021 and the FIFA World Cup in 2022. Securing either of these trophies would mean a lot to the 33-year-old and he would forever be in the hearts of every Barcelona fan as well as everyone in Argentina.
Next. Victor Font makes bold claims about bringing Xavi to Barcelona. dark
Is Messi the best football player ever?