"The best team in the world is Real Madrid" - Lionel Messi pays respect to rivals; chooses Manchester City above them in one aspect
Former Barcelona icon Lionel Messi has called former arch-rivals Real Madrid the best team in the world. The Argentine called the Los Blancos the best in terms of results while calling Manchester City the best in terms of performance.
The Galacticos won their record-extending 15th UEFA Champions League title after defeating Borussia Dortmund in the final. Messi's former teams Barca and Paris Saint-Germain were in the fray of the competition as well.
However, Barca was eliminated by the Parisians 4-6 on aggregate in the quarterfinals. As for PSG, they were knocked out in the semifinals of the coveted competition by Dortmund following a 0-2 aggregate defeat.
Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Jr scored for Real Madrid in the final, taking the club's tally of Champions League trophies to 15. While reacting to their win, Messi described the Los Blancos as the best team in the world.
Here's what he said (via All About Argentina):
"Who is the best team in the world? The best team in the world is Real Madrid. They are the current European champions. If we talk about results, Real Madrid is the best. If we are talking about performance wise, Manchester City, led by Pep, is the best."
Notably, Messi appeared in more El Classicos than arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo. Former Barcelona player Sergio Busquets made the most (48) appearances in the El Classico.
Former Barcelona icon Lionel Messi scored more goals in the El Classico than former Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo
The current Al-Nassr forward appeared in 30 El Classico matches and scored 18 goals while managing only one assist.
On the flip side, the former World Cup winner scored 26 goals and managed 14 assists in 45 appearances.
Los Blancos players Luka Modric and Dani Carvajal are tied with the most Champions League trophies to their name after having won their sixth CL trophy against Dortmund.
Ronaldo is tied with Toni Kroos and Karim Benzema after having won five Champions League trophies. The Argentine isn't far behind and has four Champions League titles to his name.
The Portuguese forward, however, has won five Ballon d'Or titles while the former World Cup winner has eight titles to his name.