Enrique Orizaola (ex-coach, 90 years of age) - "Messi is the best player I've ever seen, better than Maradona."
Luis Suarez Miramontes (Ballon d'Or 1960) - "There has never been a fast, skilfull, technical player who also scores so many goals. Until Messi. He has it all."
Miku (Celtic) - "Messi is the best player in history,"
Ronald de Boer (ex-Barcelona) - "Messi is the best player to have ever lived."
Juan Antonio Anquela (coach Granada) - "Messi is the best, for me better than Maradona."
Wayne Rooney - "In my eyes anyway, Messi is the best ever."
Hugo Sotil (Copa America 1975 winner) - "I've played with geniuses like Maradona, Pele,... but for me Leo Messi is the best player ever."
Julio Alberto (teammate Maradona) - "Messi is better than Diego. He's from another galaxy. Better than Pele or Maradona."
Gabriel Milito - "For me, Leo is the best player in history. It's impossible for me to imagine anyone was better."
Joey Barton (Queens Park Rangers) - "Messi is the best that's played the game. Streets ahead of Maradona."
Antonio Cassano (Milan) - "Wasn't happy with Madrid winning Liga, prefer Barça. They have the best player in history and watching them is great fun!"
Ivan Helguera (ex-Real Madrid) - "For me, Messi is the best player in history"
Mircea Lucescu (manager Shaktar)- "I don't think there ever has been or will be a phenomenon like Messi. He's even better than Pele."
Domenico Criscito (Zenit) - "Messi = alien of football!! An extraordinary player. The best of all times!"
Albert Ferrer (ex-Barcelona, Chelsea) - "I played with Romario, Rivaldo, Ronaldo, Laudrup and Stoichkov but Messi is the best I've seen."
Osvaldo Ardiles (teammate Maradona) - "I played with Maradona for 7 years. I thought I'd never see another player like that but I have to say Messi is better."
Bernd Schuster (1xSilver, 2xBronze Ballon d'Or) - "Messi is the best player I have seen in my life."
Ray Hudson (football commentator) - "Greatest football player I've ever seen, and certainly one of the most fabulous footballers in the history of the game, in my opinion, the greatest ever."
John Terry (Chelsea) - “My kids love him. They both have Barcelona shirts with his name on the back and they like the fact I swapped shirts with him after one of our previous games… It’s a pleasure because when you finish and look back – and the guy’s still going to be going strong – you’ve tested yourself against the best. And, quite clearly for me, he’s the best ever. He’s a great individual, a great person as well and a credit to the sport. For me, he’s got everything. He is magical. "
Adriano Galliani (vice-president Milan) - "Messi is the best player ever. And this is said by someone who has seen Maradona and Pele play."
Gary Lineker (ex-Liverpool) - “Fella’s a genius! Best ever by a distance in my life time! Never really saw Pele. Wait til he grows up! Souness, Gullit, Venables, and now Rooney agree Messi is the best they have seen. He plays a game to which we are not familiar.”
Tom Huddlestone (Tottenham) - ”Is messi the best ever?? Best I've seen”
Arsene Wenger (manager Arsenal) - Who's the best player in the world? ”Lionel Messi.” Who's the best player of all time? ”Lionel Messi.”
Roy Keane (ex-ManU): "I was a big fan of Maradona growing up and of the current crop Ronaldo is good, but Messi is the best I've ever seen"
Michael Owen - ”Not old enough to see some of the greats but I can't believe anyone can have played the game of football as well as Messi. ”
Jose Luis Chilavert (3x IFFHS goalkeeper of year) - "Messi is the best, he is better than Maradona," he affirmed. "At Messi's age, Maradona had not won not even 1 percent of what Messi has won."
Gerry Armstrong (ex Tottenham) - "I know what it's like to score against Barcelona, but end up losing 4-1. My first goal in Spanish league was against Barcelona. Unfortunately a certain Diego Maradona was in the side for Barcelona and he just took control and they beat us 4-1.
Look at this little man (Messi), well, I think he's better than Maradona, I think he better than anybody I've ever seen."
Carlos Bianchi (Argentine player/manager, 4x Copa Libertadores) - Barcelona's Lionel Messi is better than Diego Maradona and Pele
"A few days ago I did a talk for a business and a Brazilian asked me in the middle of the conference who I considered the best footballer in history, Maradona or Pele. I answered that, with all due respect to those two, right now I see Messi as superior to everyone,"
"There have been excellent footballers that weren't able to play in great national teams to prove their class. Moving on from everything that has happened or will happen when he puts on the Argentina jersey, Messi confirms every week that he is capable of doing things that nobody else has managed in the history of football."
Graeme Souness (ex Liverpool) - "I think he might be the best player that has ever played the game, given that he's 23... He's best around, and I've played against Maradona many times, some people say that Maradona was better, but I disagree.
Peter Schmeichel (ex ManU) - "I've played against some of the greatest, including Maradona, but Messi might be the best I've ever seen."
Gianluca Zambrotta (World Cup 2006) -"I've been lucky enough to play alongside a lot of champions, players like Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldinho and Kaka. But I've never seen anyone do things with the ball like Lionel Messi. He is simply incredible."
Michel (ex Real Madrid) - "Is he better than Maradona? For me yes. I've played against Maradona and I can say that what I have seen Messi, I have not seen done by anyone since I'm in the football world and now I am getting closer to fifty years, "
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (2x Ballon d'Or) - "Nobody was so wonderful at 19 years, neither Pele nor Maradona."
Juan Laporta (ex Barcelona president) - “Messi, without doubt, is the leader of Barcelona. He is the best player in the world and the best in the history of football.
David Villa (Barcelona) - ”I haven’t seen anything like him on a football pitch. Look, there were many brilliant players throughout history, but with all respect to the opinions of other people, no one is even close to Leo.”
Xavi (Barcelona) - ”Messi is even better than Maradona”
Josep Guardiola (ex Barcelona player/manager) - "Messi is the best I've ever seen and probably the best I'll ever see."
Diego Maradona - "I have seen the player who will inherit my place in Argentine football and his name is Lionel Messi. Messi is a genius and he can become an even better player. His potential is limitless and I think he’s got everything it takes to become Argentina’s greatest player."
Lionel Messi - "Diego is Diego and for me he is the greatest player of all time. Even after a million years I am not even going to be close to Maradona. I have no intention of comparing myself with Maradona – I want to make my own history for something I have achieved."
