'Messi is the best in the world'- Lyon star hails Argentinian before Champions League clash

What's the story?

Olympique Lyon star, Nabil Fekir, has praised Lionel Messi, stating that the Argentine genius is the best player in the world.

In case you didn't know...

The 31-year-old Argentine genius is enjoying another great campaign. Messi leads the goalscoring charts in Europe's top five leagues with 26 goals in 25 matches - two ahead of second-placed Kylian Mbappe.

In all competitions, Leo has racked up 34 goals despite missing few games in the first half of the season. Messi is also the leading assist provider in Europe with 14 assists in all competition.

Meanwhile, Barcelona versus Lyon in the Round of 16 is still finely poised with a 0-0 draw in the first leg, which took place in France. Despite Messi failing to score on that game, he has scored 6 in the Champions League, two goals behind top scorer Robert Lewandowski.

The heart of the matter

It is crystal clear that Leo Messi is miles above the rest in this campaign so far. Lyon star Fekir was quick to admit that the Argentine talisman is the best but claimed it is necessary to contain him if Lyon hopes to progress in the Quarterfinals.

"For me Messi is the best player in the world, as he has been at the top for ten years and he is decisive for his team every year," Fekir told the reporters as quoted by Marca.

"He's winning trophies for his team and we will do our best to stop him"

When asked about facing Barcelona, Fekir said,

"Barcelona are one of the best teams in Europe and it's always fun to play against this type of club"

"It's normal for the fans to expect a lot from me in this match and we know it's going to be a tough match, but we'll do our best."

What's next?

Barcelona are still fighting for all the major silverware available this season.

The Blaugrana will take on Lyon at the Camp Nou in the second leg of Round of 16 fixtures in the Champions League, before facing Real Betis in the La Liga.