Former Barcelona striker Gary Lineker insists Lionel Messi is on a “different level” to anyone else in the world, hailing the “all-round joy” he brings to football.
Messi, 31, is showing no signs of slowing down and was yet again the most prolific goalscorer of the calendar year in 2018 with 51 goals, seeing off Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski for club and country.
Remarkably, it was the eighth time in the last nine years Messi has scored 50 or more goals in all competitions.
And speaking exclusively to talkSPORT, the BT Sport presenter took the opportunity to heap praise on the Argentine maestro, insisting Ronaldo and co are no match for him.
Lyon v Barcelona is live on talkSPORT 2 on Tuesday night, kick-off 8pm
He said: “He’s just phenomenal. He’s 31 now and he’s still going strong.
“He plays the game in a way the rest of us are not familiar with.
“I watch a lot of football, and people pine on this whole Messi vs Ronaldo debate; there’s no comparison for me.
“They watch a bit of English football and they think La Liga is a walk in the park.
“But they actually win most competitions going, domestically and in Europe.”
He continued: “Messi is on a different level to everybody else, it’s as simple as that.
“People say to me what about Ronaldo’s goalscoring record and so forth.
“But I say to them have you seen Messi pass a football? Have you seen him dribble towards goal?
“The all-round joy he brings to football is what I love about him.”
Messi, who has six goals in his last four outings in the Champions League, will be part of the Barcelona squad which travels to Lyon for the first leg of their last-16 clash on Tuesday night.
And Lineker has backed the Catalan giants, who last won the competition in 2015, to be serious contenders to lift the trophy for a sixth time, especially with Messi around.
“Even on his off-days he’ll do three or four things that take your breath away,” he said.
“He also scores goals as well – I think some people forget that! He’s such a great team player, too.
“Any team who has him in their side will have a great chance of winning it – that’s for sure.”
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