"What more does he have to win to continue being the best in the world?" - Diego Simeone claims Lionel Messi is the 'best player in the world'
Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has once again said that his compatriot Lionel Messi is the best player in the world. He believes that the Argentine has done enough to prove it and deserves to win the individual awards.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday (September 15), Simeone was quizzed about who he thought was the best player in the world right now. He was quick to name the Inter Miami star and pointed at the Argentine becoming a world champion last year. He said (via All About Argentina):
“The best player in the world right now? Messi.. Messi, he became a world champion. What more does he have to win to continue being the best in the world?”
Lionel Messi has faced Simeone's side 30 times with Barcelona and scored 15 goals. The manager was once quoted saying that he did not celebrate Atletico Madrid's goal against Barcelona because he saw the Argentine forward getting off the bench to warm up.
Diego Simeone has always been a fan over Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo
Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has always insisted that Lionel Messi is the best in the world, in his opinion. He has claimed that the current Inter Miami star would be able to get into any team in the world and make them better.
He was quoted by GOAL as saying:
"Messi is very good, but he's very good because he's accompanied by fantastic players [at Barça] If you had to choose between Messi and Ronaldo for an average team, who would you go for? I'd choose Messi [over Ronaldo], without a doubt."
He added:
"When I said what I did about Messi and Ronaldo, I wasn't talking about who is the best player in the world. I was saying that in a team of average players, Ronaldo would probably be a better fit. But, when surrounded by top players, Messi is the best in the world."
Lionel Messi has proved it at Inter Miami this season as he helped them win the Leagues Cup, scoring 10 goals in seven games.
The MLS side are unbeaten since the former Barcelona star made his debut for the club earlier this summer. The David Beckham co-owned side were on a winless run and at the bottom of the MLS Eastern Conference table when he joined the club after leaving PSG.