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What's the story?
Former Barcelona star Cesc Fabregas is all praise about Lionel Messi's consistent adaptation to the game to become a much more complete player than ever before.
In case you didn't know...
Fabregas played with Lionel Messi since his early days at the La Masia academy in Barcelona. He played with the Argentine from the age of 12 till he joined Arsenal at the age of 16. He came back to Barcelona in 2011 for a 3 season spell before moving back to London where he signed a contract with Chelsea.
Also see : Copa America Standings, Barcelona Transfer News.
The heart of the matter
When interviewed by Goal about his former teammate, Fabregas could not stop himself from praising the Argentine,
"That's the thing with Leo, he reinvents himself season after season.
"Maybe he is not the player who dribbles past three, four or five players and score an outstanding goal any more.
"Instead, now, he prefers to do 50-yard passes, leaving Jordi Alba one-versus-one with the goalkeeper.
"He sees one-twos around the box, he might do a chip and an assist... I think now he is more complete than ever."
Discussing Messi's chances of winning the coveted Ballon d'Or, Fabregas said:
"It is very difficult, it might depend on who won the Champions League,"
"Normally, these trophies are appointed to people who win big things. I think Messi won it in 2010 when they only won the league so it is definitely doable.
"I think it is if it is all about who is the best, then Messi is the best. No doubt about it.
"I think Liverpool have had a fantastic season, though. Potentially one of their players could be on the podium, for sure."
What's next?
Lionel Messi is now in Brazil with the national team for the Copa America 2019. Their campaign has begun on a negative note with a 0-2 to Colombia. Fabregas joined Monaco in January from Chelsea. He's currently holidaying before joining his teammates to start preparing for the new season.
