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Former Real Madrid and Spain head coach Vicente del Bosque has said that Lionel Messi is the best player of all time.
The former Spain manager, speaking to TyC Sports (via Mundo Albiceleste) said that Messi was a great heir to Diego Maradona and that La Pulga has already surpassed Maradona's legacy.
"Messi was a great heir to Maradona and I think he has already surpassed the master"
Del Bosque, who won the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012 as the head coach of Spain, said that Messi is currently the best player in the world, and if someone wanted to refute the claim, they could.
"Messi is the greatest player of all time, maybe someone can refute it."
Lionel Messi is the greatest of all time: Del Bosque
The six-time Ballon D'or winner was again his usual self for Barcelona this season, almost single-handedly carrying the Blaugrana to second place in LaLiga.
Messi has scored 31 goals in 43 appearances in all competitions this season, while he has also played his fair share in creating goals for his team-mates.
Messi broke the LaLiga assist record this season, with his 22 assists surpassing Xavi's record of 20 assists set in the 2008-09 season.
"Messi is a player from the neighborhood, from the streets. He has a vision of the game, a dominance and a dribble that is not seen in today's world, and he does it where he needs to do it, which is near or in the penalty area. He's presently the best player in the world," Del Bosque said.
Messi is currently leading Barcelona in their UEFA Champions League campaign as they look to bring the title back to the Nou Camp. The Catalan giants have gone five years without winning Europe's premier club championship.
Messi himself scored a sensational goal against Napoli, as Barcelona won 3-1 in the second leg of that Round of 16 tie. They now head to Lisbon for the final phase of the tournament.
Lionel Messi and Barcelona face Bayern Munich in the quarterfinal of the UEFA Champions League on Friday night. The winner of that matchup will go on to face either Manchester City or Lyon in the semifinal.
Del Bosque's words about Lionel Messi are certainly up for debate. But if the Argentine can carry Barca forward to win the Champions League again, he would certainly shut down a lot of detractors.
