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What's the story?
Barcelona ace Sergio Busquets has boldly claimed that his teammate Lionel Messi is the best footballer on the planet. The midfielder said that Messi's impressive staging at Espanyol was a demonstration of his world-class abilities on the pitch.
In case you didn't know...
Just five days after being snubbed at the Ballon d'Or ceremony, Messi struck two gorgeous free-kicks and set up a goal for Ousmane Dembele to reiterate why he is arguably the finest player to have blessed the beautiful game.
For the first time in 11 years, Messi was omitted from the top two spots of the best players' list, as Luka Modric and Cristiano Ronaldo received the most number of votes.
The heart of the matter
He has touched double figures for the 13th consecutive time in the LaLiga, following his brace against arch-rivals Espanyol.
Busquets broached:
"We already know what Leo is capable of and it's a pleasure to see him on a daily basis. The level of effectiveness he has in training and matches is tremendous. He is fundamental in free-kicks, in open play, that's why he's the best player in the world."
Indeed, with a couple of trophies and 45 goals in 54 appearances, Messi should have received more votes for his services.
His coach Ernesto Valverde too, was surprised to see his star man on fifth place. (behind Modric, Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe and Antione Griezmann)
"I'm not going to get into that, whether it's right or wrong how an award ended up. I think the people who voted for it have to answer that. Everyone has their own opinion. To us it's absurd," he said.
It's something that he should answer but he already has a lot of recognition. But it is striking that they vote for the best and he is not there."
Video
Journalists and experts who didn't vote for him should probably take a look at this. Messi's capabilities need absolutely no description.
What's next?
Barcelona host Tottenham Hotspur in a mouth-watering Champions League encounter, before facing-off against Levante next Sunday. We can expect Messi to start in mid-week.
