Barcelona forward Luis Suarez says strike-partner Lionel Messi is ‘the best player in history’ and claims he will not be fazed by missing out on the shortlist for FIFA’s The Best.
Messi was overlooked for this year’s award, with Luka Modric, Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah all being nominated instead.
But Suarez says Messi’s omission is meaningless as the Argentine continues to impress on the pitch for both club and country.
“I don’t think that any award (Messi) does or doesn’t win takes anything away from what he has won and what he keeps on achieving,” Suarez said, via ESPN.
“It’s just like when I was scoring goals and deserved [to win] things, I was above all that. You prove yourself by working hard, with what you do in every game.
“The prizes that are worth more are the ones you win on the pitch. An example of that is being top scorer: no one can take that away from you because you won it with the goals you scored, proving yourself on the pitch, not because of a vote by players and journalists.”
5. Who should be keeping Lionel Messi's No.10 warm for Argentina? – https://t.co/IZRZ7HAAVb
Dream 🤩
Realistic
Wildcard
Squawka Suggests 🤓Sergio Romero thinks someone should be wearing it.
pic.twitter.com/3avGJHCEUy
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) September 11, 2018
Former Liverpool forward Suarez paid further tribute to Messi by explaining what it’s like to play alongside the Argentine, who he considers to be an extremely ‘close friend’.
“There are times when you don’t even need to look at him because you know he is going to put the ball where you want it,” the Uruguayan added.
“There are times when you see a space that you can take advantage of and you don’t even have to tell him because he’s already seen it.
“That’s why, for many people, and for me, he is the best player in history — because of what he signifies as a player and for what he’s done in the game. You don’t need to tell him anything because he sees everything.”
Ronaldo departure leaves Messi as La Liga’s shining light
Cristiano Ronaldo features on the shortlist of this year’s The Best award after completing a blockbuster transfer to Juventus this summer.
Many people expect Messi to now reaffirm himself as the main man in Spain with Ronaldo now plying his trade in Serie A.
Suarez says he was slightly surprised by Ronaldo’s decision to move on but believes this season’s El Clasico ties will be just as lively without the iconic forward.
“Obviously it came as a little surprise because of how good things had gone for him in Madrid, everything he had won there and how Madrid had helped him grow as a player,” Suarez said of Ronaldo.
“So it surprises you a bit, but that’s football for you. One day you can say that you are happy where you are and the next day things may change. It’s a decision which must be respected, (it was) taken for a reason.
“But we are in the Spanish league and we’re competing against Real Madrid, Atletico, Sevilla, Valencia, Villarreal and all the other teams.
“We’re not competing against one player. One player can make a difference or can make a team better, but the reality is that we expect to be playing against the best Madrid possible, against the best Atletico and against the best teams and players.”
The post Suarez: Messi’s The Best shortlist snub means nothing appeared first on Squawka News.
From Squawka NewsSquawka News https://ift.tt/2x94trz
No comments:
Post a Comment