“That sometimes is not easy” – Luis Figo explains what impresses him the most about Lionel Messi

Real Madrid legend Luis Figo has revealed what impresses him the most about Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) superstar Lionel Messi.

The Argentine achieved his lifelong dream of winning the FIFA World Cup last year in December in Qatar. He has now been nominated for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award.

Messi has also moved on from a disappointing first season in France. This season, which is his second year with PSG, he has scored 16 goals and provided 14 assists in 27 matches across competitions.

The 35-year-old is still among the best forwards in the game and few can argue against it. Figo, too, agreed and pointed to his longevity as the reason behind his greatness.

“What impressed me is the continuity year after year of the high performance that he always shows because in my experience, I know that sometimes is not easy. To maintain this level year after year is very uncommon,” Figo said while in conversation with the Laureus World Sports Awards team.

Lionel Messi has been part of an intense GOAT debate with Cristiano Ronaldo but the duo's performances over the last year have seemingly put that to rest. While the Argentine is still playing at the highest level, his Portuguese counterpart has been forced to leave Europe in search of playing time.

Ronaldo joined Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr after falling down the pecking order at Manchester United. He also failed to lead Portugal to the FIFA World Cup despite having a strong squad.

It remains to be seen whether Messi can continue performing at a similar level for another couple of years.

Lionel Messi's arrival at PSG was 'not necessarily a good thing': Former PSG player Jerome Rothen

Former PSG player Jerome Rothen, meanwhile, believes Lionel Messi's time at PSG hasn't been a success. He urged the club to admit that it was a mistake to sign the iconic footballer from Barcelona.

"Lionel Messi has been an anomaly since he arrived. It's hard to talk like that about such a player who has marked the history of football so much. But that's the reality unfortunately in relation to his investment and in relation to his performance. Quite simply. He can't get through the course, for many reasons. Most certainly he feels a bit orphaned by Barcelona.

"Even if he says that in his life today it has improved, you can't see it on the pitch. It can't be seen, there's no particular fulfilment on the pitch apart from maybe the free kick at the last second against Lille. I'm totally in the direction of the club today. Luis Campos must take responsibility, admit that the arrival of Lionel Messi was not necessarily a good thing and that it was a failure," the former PSG star told RMC Sport.