"Lionel Messi is the greatest of all-time," claims Nigeria's World Cup hero  

In recent years, Lionel Messi has cemented his status as one of football's all-time greats. Time and time again, Lionel Messi has produced the goods for Barcelona as well as the national team and has maintained unthinkable consistency levels since making his debut in 2004.

However, Lionel Messi has thus far failed to win an international trophy for Argentina, and his performances for the national team have often been criticised. After coming agonisingly close to winning the FIFA World Cup in 2014, Lionel Messi also missed out on the Copa America crown in the years that followed.

For someone who is arguably the greatest footballer of all time, it is improbable to think that Lionel Messi might actually retire without an international trophy to his name. Argentina and Lionel Messi have been involved in a handful of exciting games at the World Cup in recent years, and two of those have been against Nigeria.

In 2014 as well as 2018, the two sides faced off, and both games went down as World Cup classics. Much like Lionel Messi, who is an icon in his home country, Ahmed Musa is a Nigerian hero for his exploits for the Super Eagles.

Speaking to Legit.ng, Musa said without hesitation that Lionel Messi is the greatest footballer of all time. Additionally, he named Sergio Ramos and Marcelo as his toughest opponents and claimed that Jay-Jay Okocha is the greatest Nigerian footballer of all time.

"For me, I will say Lionel Messi is the greatest footballer ever."

Lionel Messi's World Cup heroics

Musa made the headlines in 2014, as he scored a brace against Argentina and made himself an instant hero. Lionel Messi also replied with a brace to restore parity on the night, but Marcos Rojo was the unlikely hero on the night.

Musa didn't get a goal when the two sides met again in 2018, but he ran the show for his side as they looked to sneak an unlikely point after Victor Moses had cancelled out Lionel Messi's opener. However, Rojo was once again the matchwinner on the night, as his late goal gave Argentina a 2-1 victory.

Musa has come up against Lionel Messi a few times in his career, and his assessment of the Barcelona man should come as no surprise. The 27-year-old is one of Nigeria's greatest ever players and has represented the likes of CSKA Moscow and Leicester City in Europe.

Lionel Messi has carried on from where he left off last season and has spearheaded Barcelona to the La Liga summit. With 19 goals and 12 assists to his name so far this season, Lionel Messi also leads the Spanish top-flight for both those stats.

La Liga is expected to resume in the coming weeks, and Lionel Messi will look to lead his side to a third successive league title, as they currently lead Real Madrid by two points.