La Liga president calls Lionel Messi the most important player in the history of the league

What's the story?

La Liga president Javier Tebas has hailed Barcelona captain Lionel Messi as the most important player in the history of the Spanish top flight.

In case you didn't know...

Tebas is a long-time admirer of Messi and has been incredibly vocal about his opinion of the Argentine talisman.

Last year, the Liga president stated that the Barcelona star is way ahead of former Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo saying (via Sport English), "In this era now he's way ahead of Ronaldo. That's now always been the case in other seasons. But he's leading Barcelona. He keeps taking on responsibility, seemingly with a new-found youth. He's at an incredible level."

Since his days in La Masia, Messi has emerged as a legend in the game and continues his phenomenal form this season, having already scored 22 goals and registered ten assists in La Liga so far.

Meanwhile, Tebas, who has been president of La Liga since 2013, was recently linked with a switch to the Premier League but La Liga has since denied all speculation.

The heart of the matter

Tebas is once again in full praise of Messi, calling him the most important player to grace La Liga in its entire history.

According to Marca, the 56-year-old said, "Messi is part of Barcelona and will stay there. We consider him part of LaLiga Santander and he transcends normal players. He's an icon, the most important player that has passed through our league. He is a level above."

What's next?

Barcelona were recently held to a draw during the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 fixture against Lyon.

Meanwhile, the Catalan giants will shift their focus to La Liga where they are set to face Sevilla on Saturday.