FC Barcelona former star Lionel Messi referred to Real Madrid as “the best team in the world” in an Infobae chat.
Messi, the greatest graduate of Barcelona’s La Masia academy, frequently faced off against Los Blancos in some of the most memorable El Clasico matches that football fans have ever seen.
Messi left Camp Nou in 2021 when Barca president Joan Laporta abandoned his pledge to extend the Argentine’s contract after the team was unable to meet financial Fair Play requirements and turn a profit.
“The best team is Real Madrid. They are the last Champions League champion,” said Messi, now at Inter Miami.
“If it is [to be judged] due to results, it is Madrid,” he added, before saying that if it were instead on the quality of play, then “[Pep] Guardiola’s Manchester City” gets the nod.
“My memories are all there. I remember what I remember. There are many things that perhaps escape me. But well, for now I’ll keep what I have without reviewing it,” Lionel Messi further added.
Following his free move to Paris Saint-Germain, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner faced Madrid again in a Champions League last-16 knockout phase in March 2022.
And the 36-year-old feels that his former arch-enemy is now the best team on the planet after Carlo Ancelotti led Real Madrid defeated Borussia Dortmund 2-0 at Wembley last weekend to win the big-eared Cup for the fifteenth time.
