Pele recently sparked a major reaction to his controversial comments about Barcelona and Argentina superstar Lionel Messi.
As noted by the Evening Standard earlier this week, the Brazilian legend was in fact critical of Messi and laughed off comparisons made between the pair as he picked out flaws in his game.
Whether or not Messi took any notice of those comments is unclear, but he certainly provided an emphatic response by producing a masterful performance in Barcelona’s 4-0 win over Espanyol on Saturday night.
The 31-year-old scored two spectacular free-kicks while also providing a brilliant assist for Ousmane Dembele to showcase his elite level talent.
With that and Pele’s comments in mind, Alba didn’t hold back when discussing the iconic figure’s criticism of his long-time teammate after the game.
“Pele must not be able to see very well if he says what he says about Leo. It seems like a lie that someone in the world of football could speak like that,” he is quoted as saying by Sport.
“Leo’s the best in the world by some distance. We all know there are campaigns from clubs and press, but Messi’s the best by a difference.”
That debate will undoubtedly rumble on as many will argue in favour of Cristiano Ronaldo too. Nevertheless, putting that aside, there are surely no doubts over Messi’s world class ability, and Pele’s comments rightly raised eyebrows.
However, Alba has no doubts over Messi’s influence and quality, and he’ll be hoping along with all concerned at Barcelona that he can continue to produce decisive performances like the one seen this weekend which helped move the Catalan giants three points clear at the top of the La Liga table.
