Soccer Players From Argentina

"Messi is a genius. He has everything. When I watch him I see a player who is very, very skilful, very clever and his left foot is like Diego Maradona's."

"Big congratulations to Messi, the magician, the artist, the genius. What more words can I use to describe this guy? Twenty-seven years old and broken the Champions League record from Raúl. Possibly one of the hardest players I’ve played against in my time in the game. The left foot. It’s beautiful. At the moment this guy’s taking liberties with everyone."

"There's a special part of Messi's brain allowing him to see the split-second chaos of football in his own personal super slow motion."

"Messi is really a different class. To win four consecutive Ballon d'Ors is a great achievement."

"The Messi of the early years was a phenomenon, but he always wanted to finish off the move. Now he goes past one, two or three players and is happy to give an assist to a team-mate - it makes him more dangerous and more difficult to stop than ever before."

"He's the first genius of the 21st century."

"I am not ashamed to admit that in the games against Barcelona I spent a lot of the time just hoping he would take up positions as far away from me as possible."

"I think about the great players with whom I have shared a pitch: Eric Cantona, Zinedine Zidane, Pirlo, Xavi, Cristiano Ronaldo – and the greatest of them all is Messi."

"He's a problem solver, a game changer, the greatest player to have played the game. I am more than 60 years old now, and I don't believe that I've seen, or that I'm likely to see, anyone better in my lifetime. The world's best when I was growing up was Pele and he would have been a great player now, too, but Messi surpasses him. He's also way out ahead of Diego Maradona - it's not even close anymore."

"I was lucky enough to play with Zidane, Ronaldo, Figo, Cristiano... but Messi is different; he makes everything look so easy, so effortless – even the impossible."

"Messi makes the difference. I think he has reached and surpassed the level of Maradona."

"The best by far is Messi. Second is Maradona, third is Pele and Di Stefano. Fifth is Cruyff, Zidane or Pele."

"Not often I sit and watch football and chuckle at how good someone is."

"Messi is the real deal when it comes to No10s. He represents a type of football that transcends borders."

"Messi is the best in the world by far; for me, nobody comes close."

"What Messi does is terrifying. It’s indescribable magic. You can’t analyze it."

"I love Messi. Who doesn't? He's from another planet. An extraordinary player."

"Messi has been the best player of the last 10 years. He played at the same level for 10 years."

"I never ever thought I would say that there was a better player than Maradona since he was in my time and I was in awe of him, but I honestly think for a number of reasons that Messi has surpassed him. He can do anything that Maradona did, and he does it more frequently and consistently."

"He's head and shoulders above anyone I've seen. He's an alien. He's better now than he was four years ago because he reads the game better. He's unstoppable."

"Barcelona have a great team with one special player, Messi. He is able to unlock a game from out of nowhere. Cristiano Ronaldo has been putting in spectacular performances, but there really is no comparison with Messi. Messi is on another level than all the other players. He is the undisputed best. No player has the ability to do what he does."

"He can hurt you 40 metres away from goal, not because he takes the ball and starts dribbling past opponents, but because on top of that he can also create the definitive goal chance. The god of football started playing, he is unstoppable when he starts playing. If you think otherwise, ask Jerome Boateng or all those fantastic players that face him."

"Messi is the best I’ve ever seen. I don’t dish out praise lightly but Messi deserves it. I look for weaknesses in his game and I can’t find them."

"He really is from a different planet. Even if you are supporting another team you have to admit this."

"Messi is the Pelé of my generation. I don't understand the criticism of him. You cannot criticize a player like Messi."

"I heard an interview with Sir Alex Ferguson where he revealed his greatest players of all time. He said Messi was in a category of his own. I am a big fan of Diego Maradona but Messi is a phenomenon. His performances at club level are unbelievable. You can play a season or two like that, but not all these years. He set the bar very high from the start."

"He doesn't have the personality to be a leader."

"Sometimes I ask myself if Messi is human"

"Every player on the planet is in Messi's shadow. If you want to step out of Messi's shadow, you should try another sport."

"I have never seen a player like him, with so much quality and audacity at his age, in a so important a stadium and with that shirt. He has everything. He has an extraordinary future - I'd love to bring him to Juve!"

"When I see Messi - who is the best player in the world in my opinion - lose the ball, he runs off until he gets it back or commits a foul. Our guys lose the ball and fold their arms."

"What Messi brings to a team, no other player can bring."

"If you're speaking of a fantasy player, then it has to be Leo Messi as he is so unpredictable."

"[How to stop Messi?] You need to bring a shotgun, pam-pam and that's it."

"Messi is the best player I’ve seen in my life. Not just better but much better. Much faster. Much, much more skilful."

"I think he is certainly one of the best in the world and people are right to make comparisons with Diego Maradona. It’s amazing when you think he is still only 22-years-old. He’s just a fantastic player."

"Put in the superlatives yourselves, I'm running out. It's already been a while now that he has been outstanding. That he's capable of doing everything that he does at his age is something impressive, that doesn't make any sense."

"Messi has once again shown that he is a wonderful player and that he is, without doubt, the leader of Barcelona. He is the best player in the world and the best in the history of football. Along with Cruyff and Maradona, he is the best player we have seen at Barça."

"Tonight, I saw Diego Maradona, but at more revs per minute. There are no words left to describe him – he is interplanetary. We could have beaten Barcelona but we could never have beaten Leo Messi. If we had scored four, he would have scored 12."

"Messi is like a Playstation."

"You cannot compare anyone to Messi. Cristiano Ronaldo is a great human player, but Messi is a Martian."

"I don't know the parameters for the Ballon d'Or. I only know that Messi deserves to win every trophy."

"Diego Maradona filled us with emotions. But between the cracks, without doubt, Messi is better than Maradona."

"Whoever plays football knows that there are no words for Messi. He is a category all of his own: the best player in the world, another galaxy."

"Messi is like an Oliver Twist character, picking a pocket or two, the Artful Dodger, where he’s just sort of slipping around, looking like a little lad in the playground. He’s not really taking it seriously, and he makes you smile every time he gets the ball. And when he does some of these things, I have to laugh because it’s not possible what he does. It’s wonderful to watch. It’s just wonderful to see. You’ve got to pinch yourself sometimes, it’s really amazing what he does."

"People nowadays are obsessed with golden awards, about who is the best — when we know in reality the one with more money wins."

"I always wanted to have the ball for myself; she was my girlfriend."

"Ball is made of leather, leather comes from cows, cows eat grass, and there is where the ball must be."

"Finals are not to be played; they are to be won."

"Failure is a necessary part of success."