Lionel Messi: Arsenal have Germany’s best player

Lionel Messi vies for the ball against Mesut Ozil

Barcelona star Lionel Messi has spoken about a number of his rivals for the title of the world’s best player, lauding the talents of Robin van Persie, Arjen Robben and Mesut Ozil. The love-in even extends to long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who Messi is quoted by the Express as calling “ a great player.”

“Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben are two great players,” said the four-time Ballon d’Or winner.

“Ozil is for me Germany’s best player, he is first class, very creative.

“Van Persie is a total footballer, a very complete forward and capable of scoring lots of goals.

“Robben also has class, but is more predictable. He can dribble the ball at speed and leave many players behind.”

“Of course I am happy that Cristiano is going to the World Cup.

“The best teams should be there, because if you want to be the best you must beat every country. I believe it is good for the World Cup for Cristiano to go, he is a great player.

“Now everyone is talking about how well he is playing, but he has been playing like that for many years, for his club and country.”