"Lionel Messi is a player who delights everyone including us Brazilians, I'm a fan of his" - Cafu

Paris Saint-Germain maestro Lionel Messi has enjoyed one of the brightest years of his career in 2021. He claimed his seventh Ballon d'Or award this year following an exceptional outing with club and country, and it doesn't look like he's done yet.

Former Brazilian defender Cafu couldn't help but shower praise on the 34-year-old for his consistent brilliance. The legendary right-back has revealed that he is a Lionel Messi fan, stressing that the forward deserved to be named the best player in the world in 2021.

Cafu was quoted as saying by Brazilian website Ole:

"Wow, I'm a fan of great football, I'm a fan of great players, I am a fan of Messi. Messi really deserves it [the Ballon d'Or 2021]. With each passing year, he has more experience, and it is even better."

"He's a guy who practically won seven Ballons d'Or seven years ago, more than 15 years between first and second place."

It goes without saying that Lionel Messi, despite being an Argentine, is a very popular figure in Brazil. This was evident when the two South American countries clashed in the Copa America final in July, with many Brazilians showing their love for the forward.

Cafu has thrown more weight behind the subject by admitting that Lionel Messi delights everyone who loves football, including Brazilians.

The former AC Milan defender continued:

"What about a player like that? Messi is really a player who delights the eyes playing football, from all over the world, including us Brazilians."

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Lionel Messi's spectacular 2021 in numbers

What an incredible year Lionel Messi has had

There's no doubt the year 2021 has been one of the brightest years of Lionel Messi's career. The Argentine impressed in his final season with Barcelona, bagging 38 goals and 14 assists in all competitions and leading the Blaugrana to Copa Del Rey triumph.

Messi then put an end to his barren spell with Argentina as he led La Albiceleste to Copa America glory in July. The PSG star had an outing to remember for years, finishing with the most goals (4) and most assists (5) in the competition. He was also voted the best player in the tournament.