Former Liverpool and Chelsea stars Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard have paid tribute to Barcelona ace Lionel Messi after his Ballon d’Or triumph.
The Argentinian international was crowned the winner of the awarder the fifth time on Monday night, as he finished above both teammate Neymar and Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo.
While the 28-year-old received 41.33% of the votes, Ronaldo came second with 27.76% and Barca’s Neymar had 7.86%.
Despite the fact that Ronaldo had won the previous two years, Gerrard and Lampard took to Instagram to reveal their thoughts on this year’s winner, crowning him the best ever to play the game.
Messi scored 52 goals and recorded 26 assists in 61 games last year, as he helped the Catalan giants win five trophies as they reigned in Spain and in Europe after winning La Liga and the Champions League, before conquering the world in the Club World Cup.
While journalists, national team coaches and captains vote for their top three in all categories in the award ceremony, it appears as though players, both past and present, agreed with the eventual winners.
The best in the world ????#Genius @leomessi … The best ever ? I think so ????
A photo posted by Steven Gerrard (@stevengerrard) on