"Messi is unique, he is touched by God" - Ex-Manchester United attacker says PSG superstar is one of the greatest footballers in history

Former Manchester United attacker Antonio Valencia has lavished praise on Lionel Messi, calling him 'unique' and 'one of the best in history'. The Ecuadorian international has locked horns with the former Barcelona ace a few times for both club and country.

While he rarely came out on top in their duels, Valencia has nothing but admiration for Messi, who he feels is among the greatest players ever. Speaking to Argentine sports outlet Ole, he said:

"Messi is unique; he is touched by God, and we must recognise it. When a player stands out, I like to recognise him, and for me, Messi is one of the best in history. At the time of the Cristiano-Messi rivalry, the bad thing about Cristiano was that Messi was also there."

For his incredible achievements with club and country, the Argentine has been widely hailed as the greatest of all time. During his 17 years at Barcelona, he scored 672 goals and lifted 34 titles. He also ended his international trophy drought last year, winning the Copa America with Argentina.

This season, Lionel Messi means business 😈 https://t.co/QoEmLl5R5M

Messi has now clicked into gear at PSG following a difficult first season, where he scored just 11 times across competitions. In four games across competitions this season, Messi has already racked up four goals and one trophy.

His arch-rival, Ronaldo, has hotly contested the 'GOAT' debate and has his own set of followers, but things haven't been going great for him lately. The Portuguese ace is facing an uncertain future at Manchester United right now and hasn't scored in three games in the new campaign.

Former Manchester United star hoping to see Messi shine in Qatar

Lionel Messi will be leading Argentina at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar this year, and as he's 35 now, it might well be his last appearance in the quadrennial competition.

Valencia hopes the PSG ace will have a good tournament and everyone enjoys watching him in the competition for perhaps the last time.

On this day in 2005, Lionel Messi made his debut for Argentina🇦🇷

🏆1x Fifa U20 World Cup
🏆1x Copa America
🏆1x Finalissima

📸: Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images) https://t.co/t0dPkYOai2

He added:

"Hopefully Messi has a good World Cup because it could be the last. I hope you enjoy it and also make all the people of Argentina happy."

Argentina have been drawn in Group C alongside Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Poland and begin their World Cup campaign on November 22 against the Green Falcons. Messi made the final with the Albiceleste in 2014.