Andres Iniesta has claimed that Lionel Messi is the best with or without the World Cup and that he was a deserving winner at Qatar.
He appeared in an interview to speak about his former club Barcelona and the progress they have made under his former teammate and now manager Xavi Hernandes.
He also praised Lionel Messi for his performance at the World Cup, which the Argentine won, adding to his already impressive trophy collection. He told Marca (via Daily Mail):
“It was a well-deserved title not only for Leo but for the whole of Argentina, they started the tournament with a loss and they put up with a lot of pressure.”
He also added that winning the World Cup was not necessary for him to be regarded as the best in the world. He also took a dig at those who still think Lionel Messi is not the best in the world claiming that those critics will ‘continue to find excuses’ even after the Qatar truimph. He said:
“For me, it was not necessary for Messi to win the World Cup to admit that he is the best, with or without the World Cup he is the best. I think the person who wasn’t recognizing his advantage would continue to find excuses even after Leo won the World Cup.”
‘By how he has competed himself. He started losing the first game, he endured that added pressure to what he already had. For me, he is the deserved champion.’
Messi and Iniesta were a part of one of the greatest Barcelona teams in club history.
The pair have combined for over a thousand appearances and 32 trophies for Barcelona and were always expected to finish their careers at the Nou Camp.
But Iniesta left first to join the Japanese club Vissel Kobe, while Messi joined PSG in 2018,