"He is an exceptional talent. I still think Diego Maradona is the best player I have ever seen – but Messi is closing in fast. He's a wonderful sight in full flight and we are lucky to have him around."

"There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing a happy and smiling child. I always help in any way I can, even if it’s just by signing an autograph. A child’s smile is worth more than all the money in the world""

"Everything. But everything I did, I did for football, to achieve my dream""

"Leo is a virtuoso. He does things with the ball that just seem impossible. He's got great ability. His control of the ball when he is running at high speed is excellent. He has a superb shot. There is precision in his passing. To summarise... he's got everything. He has every single attribute you would want to find in a player."

"Messi is better than Maradona and Pelé. Every week he shows that he is capable of things that no one had done until now. Messi defies the laws of anatomy, he must have an extra bone in his ankle."

"You cannot allow your desire to be a winner to be diminished by achieving success before and I believe there is room for improvement in every sportsman""

"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."

"For me, to watch Messi play is a pleasure – it's like having an orgasm – it's an incredible pleasure."

"I see Messi every time he grabs the ball and accelerates. But he is shy, like a little brother who likes to hang out with PlayStation rather than talk. We must protect him. I'd personally put him in a drawer of my bedside table."

"The other day I saw one of his games. He was running with the ball at a hundred percent full speed, I don’t know how many touches he took, maybe five or six, but the ball was glued to his foot. It’s practically impossible."

"In football as in watchmaking, talent and elegance mean nothing without rigour and precision""

"You have to keep working hard and playing well because people will start to forget what you have done before if you don’t""

"He deserves 10 out of 10 for doing what he does."

"Nobody was so wonderful at 19 years, neither Pele nor Maradona."

"I spent four beautiful years with Messi at Barcelona. He is an exceptional player. I'm very happy that he was my teammate."

"This award says I’m the best player in the world, but I’m not even the best player at Barcelona."

"Leo floats over the field - sometimes you have the sensation he's not even there, that he's hiding. But he's there and the rival knows it."

"I knew that at some point God was going to give it to me and I don't know why, but I felt it was going to be like this. Once again he made me very happy."

"When you lose, you get up, you make mistakes and you learn. And then you become a better player""

"I have seen the player who will inherit my place in Argentine football and his name is Messi. Messi is a genius and he can become an even better player. His potential is limitless and I think he’s got everything it takes to become Argentina’s greatest player."

"Messi is the best player of all time, and today he had a stormer."

"I think Messi's just beyond everyone else."

"I love to see T-shirts or flags with Che Guevara, Diego [Maradona] and Argentina anywhere in the world. It gives me a beautiful feeling."

"I will never go to trial against Barça because it is the club that I love, which has given me everything since I arrived here. It's the club of my life, I made my life here. Messi interview with Goal, announced he remains at Barca - NAIJANEWS247 September 4, 2020."

"For me, he's the best player in the world. That's football. Defending Messi one-on-one is not possible."

"The best striker I have ever faced? Lionel Messi. It has always been Messi."

"The day you think there is no improvement to be made, is a sad one""

"Messi is out of this world. He is a special player and you can't compare him to me. It would be unfair to him."

"The best player ever? Lionel Messi."

"Messi is out of this planet, I would say he is so far ahead of the rest of the players playing right now and I would say historically as well. There are not words to describe him."

"I never set out to be the best player in history. I think I'm just another footballer. On the pitch we are all the same and when the game starts I always try to improve myself. My intention is that when I retire, I will be remembered for being a good person."

"It's a gift. I haven’t seen any other player, at least during my career, who plays like Messi does. For me that makes him the best footballer in the world."

"Messi is the best player in the world. We'd have to kidnap him to stop him."

"It's impossible to control Leo for 90 minutes."

"Diego is Diego and for me he is the greatest player of all time. Even after a million years I am not even going to be close to Maradona. I have no intention of comparing myself with Maradona - I want to make my own history for something I have achieved."

"It doesn't matter if I am better than Cristiano Ronaldo, all that matters is that Barcelona are better than Madrid."

"He's achieved so many great things and set the bar so high that practically nobody is ever going to reach it."

"Messi is an alien, that dedicates himself to playing with humans."

"I applaud what he does and I hope the crowd enjoyed and will remember what he does. We are fortunate to be around while the best is playing. It is a pleasure to have him with us. Today was a real show. He is the best there is and there has been."

"Simply stellar, proud and majestic. He is the re-incarnation of Maradona."

"Lionel Messi. Oh... I think this guy is fantastic. He’s the best player I have ever seen in my life."

"Needless to repeat, that he’s the best player in the world, the best of all-time. I enjoy training with him, he makes everything easier."

"Messi's ability to play at the highest level with Barcelona and their consistency is what wins them these titles."

"Messi is so talented that 70% of the goals I scored at Barça came from his boots. With him in your team, you're calm."

"Messi proves himself nearly every game. Despite his immense talent, he remains very modest. I like that in him and I respect Messi a lot."

"Ronaldo (Brazilian footballer) was my hero. He was the best forward I've ever seen. He was so fast that he could score a goal from nothing and he struck the ball better than anyone I've seen."

"He's the best of all time."

"I feel sad when the best player in the world is chosen, and I see, for example, that the Portuguese coach—my friend Fernando Santos—does not place Messi among the top three. It's absurd. As a Portuguese man, I will say that Ronaldo is the best in the world. Messi is from another planet."

"Of course life is easier with Lionel Messi. He does all sorts of things. We see that every day. He is from another planet."