"He's my favorite" - Manchester City youngster labels Lionel Messi as 'the best player of all time'

Manchester City full-back Rico Lewis has lavished praise on Lionel Messi, calling the legendary Argentine the best player of all time. Lewis, 19, is an exciting young talent in the Manchester City squad and has impressed under Pep Guardiola's tutelage this season.

The Englishman has been in great form, playing in the Community Shield for the full 90 minutes and helping City beat Manchester United on penalties. He has also featured in five out of City's six Premier League games this season.

During a recent interview, the 19-year-old was asked which footballer he would invite to dinner if he could have his pick. Lewis named Lionel Messi and talked about his admiration for the Argentine. He said (via Albiceleste Talk on X):

"Which football player I'd invite for a dinner? I have to say Messi, because he's my favorite and I think he's the best player of all time."

"What would I ask him? Just his view on football and how he carried on to go on so long, how he's played all these matches, won all of these stuff and he still wants to carry on."

Lionel Messi has won a total of 44 trophies, the most for a player in the history of football. He has also won an unprecedented eight Ballon d'Or awards. He currently plays for Inter Miami, where he is in blistering form, having scored 17 goals and provided 12 assists in 19 games.

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When Paris Saint-Germain defender spoke about Lionel Messi's simplicity

PSG defender Achraf Hakimi once praised Messi's simplicity, despite being one of the biggest superstars of football. Notably, Messi left Barcelona for PSG in the summer of 2021 and played alongside the defender for two seasons.

In 2021, Hakimi spoke about his relationship with Messi on the pitch and the playmaker's behavior off it. He told L'Equipe (via Mirror):

"Building a technical relationship with him is easy. I give him the ball, I run and he will put it where it belongs! (Laughs) I was surprised by the way he behaved, he is simple, quiet."

Hakimi added:

"To progress, I pay attention to how he trains, how he plays. It will grow the team and each of the players that make it up. We speak the same language, in addition, little by little we are getting to know each other."

Messi left PSG and Europe entirely in 2023, opting for a stint in the MLS with Inter Miami.