Lionel Messi News: 'He's got all the records' - Iniesta responds to Pele's criticism of Barcelona star
What's the story?
Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta has responded to Brazilian icon Pele's comments on Lionel Messi's abilities on the field.
In case you didn't know...
Pele drew the attention of football fans around the globe when he claimed that Messi only had one skill to his name.
In an interview with Folha de S.Paulo, the Brazilian legend responded to people calling Messi the greatest in the world saying, "How can you make a comparison between a guy who heads the ball well, shoots with the left, shoots with the right... and another who only shoots with one leg, only has one skill, doesn’t head the ball well?"
"How can you compare? To compare with Pelé, it has to be someone who shoots well with the left, shoots well with the right, and scores headers."
"As far as I'm concerned, Maradona was one of the best players ever. If you ask me, 'Was he better than Messi?' Yes, he was. Much better. [Franz] Beckenbauer, [Johan] Cruyff are also better. They're also excellent players."
The heart of the matter
Pele's comments have stirred up much controversy and it looks like Messi's former teammate Andres Iniesta has also weighed in on the matter.
Speaking at a promotional event (via Goal), Iniesta said, "I do not want to answer what Pele said.
"But he [Messi] is the best player in history, he's got all the records: headers, skills, right-footed shots, left-footed shots - I have not seen anyone do what he does and every year he exceeds my expectations."
The former Barcelona man added, "[Being] fifth [in the Ballon d'Or voting] is not an insult, but for me he is the best. It would be bad to say that it was unfair for [Luka] Modric to win, he had a great season."
What's next?
Barcelona are set to face Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur in a Champions League clash tonight. Messi put Spurs to the sword in the previous meeting between the two sides, but he is expected to be rested for tonight's clash.