Barca Legend Heaps Praise on Messi by Claiming He's a 'Machine Built to Play Football'
Barcelona legend Xavi has lauded his former Nou Camp teammate, Lionel Messi, as 'a machine built to play football' and can do everything Xavi, Andre Iniesta and Sergio Busquets do whilst still being himself.
30-year-old Messi will undoubtedly go down in history as one of the legends of the game - let alone at Barcelona - after a spectacular career which has seen him enjoy success at both a club and individual level.
Barcelona's midfielder Xavi Hernandez (R) and Barcelona's Argentinian forward Lionel Messi celebrate with the trophy after the UEFA Champions League Final football match between Juventus and FC Barcelona at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin on June 6, 2015. FC Barcelona won the match 1-3. AFP PHOTO / PATRIK STOLLARZ (Photo credit should read PATRIK STOLLARZ/AFP/Getty Images)
PATRIK STOLLARZ/GettyImages
His trophy cabinet will be bursting at its seams after winning eight La Liga titles, five Copa del Rey's, four Champions Leagues, an Olympic gold medal and five Ballon d'Or, amongst countless other accolades.
Xavi had the privilege of sharing the field with Messi before leaving the club in 2015 and he has heaped praise on the 30-year-old by claiming the attacker was simply made to play football.
He told The Tactical Room, via FourFourTwo: "Leo can do [what] Xavi, [Andres] Iniesta and [Sergio] Busquets [do] at the same time and continue to do Messi.
"He seems a machine built to play football, with that rubber ankle that sticks to the ball."
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The Argentina maestro is now set to add many more trophies to his long list after he put pen to paper on a new contract, which is to keep him at Barcelona until 2021.
His new deal is understood to have raised his salary to a spectacular £500,000-per-week, but after seemingly winning everything he can domestically, Messi will almost certainly be hellbent on lifting the World Cup with Argentina next summer to add the elusive trophy to his list of accolades.
