Pep Guardiola Put in the superlatives yourselves, Im running out.

Its already been a while now that he has been outstanding. Hes more than decisive in every way. That hes capable of doing everything that he does at his age is something impressive, that doesnt make any sense. The best players are always in the thick of the action. (Michael) Jordan did it with the Bulls, (Kobe) Bryant does it with the Lakers and Leo does it here. We want him to stay with us because hes the best and we wouldnt swap him for anyone. Messi is an irreplaceable player, today if he was here we would have won 5-0 but he was not and we had to play another in his place. Diego Maradona I have seen the player who will inherit my place in Argentine football and his name is Messi. Messi is a genius and he can become an even better player. His potential is limitless and I think hes got everything it takes to become Argentinas greatest player. Messi I think is like me, he is the best in the world along with Ronaldinho. Frank Rijkaard Hes a unique player and he deserves it, because he can do things of almost imperceptible excellence and is a gem to watch. Johann Cruyff He deserves ten out of ten for doing what he does. He is a sensation, but still he can improve. He must know when to move the ball on quickly and when to try the impossible mission. When he learns this, he wont win a single Golden Ball, but an entire collection. Carlos Tevez His speed is astonishing. Its amazing how he can go 1 to 100 in just one second. Im constantly around great players like Cristiano and Rooney, But this guy is just a step up above every other great footballer out there at the moment, Not only is he quick, determined, and extremely intelligent on the ball, but his movement off the ball is just as fantastic unbelievable to sum it up in a word. Juan Sebastian Veron

I see Maradona every time he grabs the ball and accelerates. We must protect him. Id personally put him in a drawer of my bedside table. Gilberto Messis plaudits are hard to accept, we play in other countries and we do not see the local fans supporting our players there. Over 40 thousand Brazilians applauded, and thats hard for who is on the field. When I see them applauding Messi I get annoyed. Julio Grondona Without Messi there isnt a team for Argentina, Messi is brilliant, different, with a strong mentality. Lets hope he doesnt change. Jose Mourinho The best way to stop Messi is when you play with 11 men and then you can double mark him, one player to stay on him and the other to help out. If it is 11 against 10 then you have almost no chance of stopping him. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge Nobody was so wonderful at 19 years, neither Pele nor Maradona. Fernando Gago For me, the best in the world is Messi because of the way he plays, moves with the ball and changes matches, Messi has incredible ability and I love the way that he plays. Messi is the best player in the world by some way, I always thank God that he is an Argentine, not just as a player, but as a person too. I have known him since I was 18, he is incredible, a very good person and we are very good friends. Right now, he is at another club, and we have a little bit of a rivalry, but the friendship is larger and stronger. Theirry Henry I have the possibility to watch Messi in training each morning, and because of what he demonstrates he is the best player in the world, he stated during a press conference. It is a pleasure to watch him, and because of the way he plays he is an undisputed leader of the Barcelona team. Antonio Cassano Ronaldinho is better than Cristiano Ronaldo, but neither are as good as Leo Messi. Sergio Aguero

Nowadays, Messi is better than Ronaldinho. He is the best footballer in the world right now. And Im not the only who says so. Everyone who has seen him play says so too. Pele I knew when we gave Kaka the FIFA World Player of the Year award that he (messi) would become the best player in the world. With young people like him we need patience and that is the problem we have in Brazil. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva When I see Messi who is the best player in the world in my opinion lose the ball, he runs off until he gets it back or commits a foul. Our guys lose the ball and fold their arms. Juan Laporta This year at Barcelona team spirit is dominating but players like Messi show there is individuality too. He is a virtuoso player who is determined and fast with the ball at his feet.he is a mixture of Maradona and Cruyff. Carles Puyol He is a spectacular player, there is nobody else like him. I should not because I have suffered so much in training. I think he is the best forward at the moment and I think he will be so for many more years. He has his feet on the ground. Cesc Fabregas He has a great future if he can stay clear of injuries. For me, he is the best there is. Ronaldinho Every time he plays, Leo Messi reminds me more of Maradona, both left-footed and short, Messi is the best player in the world, along with Kak and Cristiano Ronaldo. For us it is not a surprise. Since he began to come and train with us and we knew we would go down this path. Someday I will explain that I was at the birth of one of the footballing greats: Leo Messi. Txiki Begiristain He is priceless. Right now, in Messi, Barcelona has the best soccer player on planet Earth. Marcello Lippi The best? Messi Daniel Alves

Lionel Messi? When I played against him at Sevilla it was always very difficult, so now Im pleased that were on the same side. Hes just fantastic. Mikel Arteta It is as if someone commands him from the stands, like a video game. I have never seen a human run with the ball at that speed. I have not seen Maradona so I cannot compare, but Messi is simply unbeatable. Raul The other day I saw one of his games. He was running with the ball at a hundred percent full speed, I dont know how many touches he took, maybe five or six, but the ball was glued to his foot. Its practically impossible! Xavi It is clear that Messi is on a level above all others. Those who do not see that are blind. Johnny Heitinga I believe that I played well against Barcelona, the problem was that Lionel Messi was simply unstoppable. Arsene Wenger Hes like a PlayStation Unknown Some 51,000 fans went to see Argentina play Serbia in soccer Wednesday night They made it clear that they were there to see superstar Lionel Messi, chanting his name from the first 10 minutes onward. [[Nb. Messi did not play in this match]]