"Lionel Messi is God!" Barcelona winger heaps praise on Argentine genius
In an interview with the Guardian, Barcelona's newest recruit Martin Braithwaite lauded Lionel Messi as the greatest football player on the planet and revealed details about Barcelona's training and preparation going into the side's first fixture of the restarted La Liga season against Mallorca.
The winger was in awe of Lionel Messi's talents and labelled Barcelona's talisman as the God of the footballing world. Lionel Messi is widely regarded in Barcelona as the best player in the world and Braithwaite's comments present a compelling argument.
Braithwaite was particularly enamoured by Lionel Messi's intelligence and said that the Barcelona captain's ability to draw defenders and create space for his teammates has set him apart from the rest of the chasing pack.
"If football is a religion, Lionel Messi is God!"
Barcelona forward Martin Braithwaite idolises Lionel Messi
In the interview, Martin Braithwaite explicitly detailed Barcelona's plans in the final third and revealed that the primary responsibility of the side's attacking players was to create space for Lionel Messi.
Lionel Messi often drifts into midfield to pick up the ball and his mesmerising dribbling ability tends to attract most players in the opposition's defence. Barcelona's illustrious forwards have used Lionel Messi's sheer presence to devastating effect in the past.
Martin Braithwaite has indicated that in spite of Barcelona's rotating roulette of attacking options in the final third, the tactics have not changed much over the years.
"Lionel Messi commands all the attention. People forget to watch what is happening around them because it is a threat. If there is space, we have to see how to exploit that. Then when you do, the rivals realize that what we are doing is creating spaces for Messi. It is a matter of intelligence."
Barcelona triggered Martin Braithwaite's release clause after this season's winter transfer window and brought the winger to the Camp Nou to play alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. Ousmane Dembele's injury means that Braithwaite is likely to feature in several games this season.
Barcelona's first-choice attacking trident of Antoine Griezmann, Lionel Messi, and Luis Suarez will likely remain unchanged. With Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez have more than their share of fitness issues in the recent past, however, the Danish winger will find minutes with the first team.
Martin Braithwaite also spoke about Barcelona striker Luis Suarez and his return from injury. Braithwaite said that studying the Uruguayan striker's movements have allowed him to improve his own game.
“I am glad for his return. I am very excited to be able to play alongside Luis Suárez. He was injured but now that he has returned, I am learning a lot from him, by how he moves."
Luis Suarez has established in Barcelona's starting eleven and his telepathic relationship with Lionel Messi has yielded excellent results for Barcelona in the past.
"Luis Suarez knows how to read the game very well, he is smart. He knows when to pass, when to turn, and how to use his body. I ask him a lot of questions and I am learning."
Barcelona is currently at the top of the La Liga table but the likes of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez will have to be at their best to maintain and extend a fragile 2-point lead over arch-rivals Real Madrid.
Martin Braithwaite may not get as much playing time as Barcelona's two modern-day greats but with La Liga's hectic schedule, the Dane will be an important member of the squad for the rest of the season.