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Juventus midfielder Arthur has lavished praise on his former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi, describing him as an 'alien'. The PSG forward is regarded as one of football's greatest ever talents and his time at Barcelona saw him break numerous records alongside winning multiple honors.
Arthur played with the legendary Argentinian for two years and has commented on the talent that he possesses.
In an interview with Marca, the Spaniard heaped praise on his former captain, saying:
"Messi... it seems that God pointed his finger at him. He is an alien because, on the field, he does some incredible things."
He continued in the same vein and added:
"Watching their games at home, of course, at home you can see the whole field. Inside the field you see just part of that and the ball, but Messi seems that he is looking at the entire field from above."
His accomplishments in football are incredible. The forward has 679 goals and 314 assists in 804 games in club football - all but seven of those goals were for Barcelona. He has, however, encountered a difficult period at PSG since joining from Blaugrana last summer.
The Argentine was most recently booed by the Parc des Princes faithful following his disappointing performance in PSG's exit from the UEFA Champions League after a defeat at the hands of Real Madrid in the Round of 16.
Kylian Mbappe's departure to benefit Lionel Messi
Kylian Mbappe looks set to join Real Madrid at the end of the season with talks, according to Mario Cortegana, set to commence soon. This could actually help the Argentinian great as he has struggled to hit the goalscoring heights that saw him heralded as one of the best in the game during his time at Camp Nou.
Mbappe has been the main man this season, with Messi only taking the spotlight on a few occasions. For the Parisians this season, the forward has seven goals and 11 assists in 26 appearances, in all competitions.
His performance against Madrid has been lamented by many. But with Mbappe flourishing, it is hard for the former Barca man to step out and become the main man for PSG.
He has been criticised by both fans and the French media on a number of occasions. But if the Paris side use the Frenchman's departure to build the team around Messi, the 34-year-old may begin to return to his usual best.
Nevertheless, the veteran striker's legacy in the sport will be long-lasting and he is an icon that we should be honored to have seen at his captivating best.
