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Lionel Messi: Carles Puyol reveals why Barcelona star is best ever player
BARCELONA legend Carles Puyol says Lionel Messi is the best footballer of all-time because his game is still evolving evening his twilight years.
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Messi fired Barcelona to the semi-final of the Champions League with a fine individual display against Manchester United earlier this week and they remain on course for the treble due to Messi’s 45 goals in all competitions.
Barca need another eight points to guarantee a second La Liga title in a row and will face Valencia in the Copa del Rey final at the end of May.
And former Barca captain Puyol believes Messi is still operating at the highest level despite now being 31 years old.
“He is playing at an incredible level,” he told Goal.
“For me, he is the best ever player in the history of the game.
“He has shown that season after season and you can see how his game has evolved, all the things he now does.
“And you can see he's improving every year with new attributes he has brought to his game.
"He has improved in every way and he is taking a step forward on a personal level. He has always been a leader on the field but now, you can see that he is a leader on and off the pitch.
“He is an introverted person but now you can see that he is leading from the front as the captain of Barcelona.”
Puyol also hailed Barcelona's incredible season under manager Ernesto Valverde as they fight fro hours on three fronts.
“It's been very good in the Champions League and also in all the other competitions,” he added.
“They're playing really good football and they have the chance of winning everything. Right now it's great because the best is yet to come this season.
“Barcelona are one of the favourites for the Champions League because there are only four teams left.
“It is going to be a really tough semi-final against Liverpool because they having a great season but fans will want to see these kinds of games, that's what the Champions League is all about.
“Players have come and they have left but the style of Barcelona has stayed the same.
“They've got a great generation of players who have made amazing results. The most important thing is the ambition of the club to keep making history.”