Atletico Madrid forward Vitolo has claimed Lionel Messi ‘could lose a leg and still be the best’.
Atleti face Barcelona on Saturday in a clash between to of the La Liga frontrunners, with just a single point separating the two teams.
Is Lionel Messi the greatest of all time? Five things you need to know…
1. Messi came through Barcelona’s La Masia youth academy, making his first-team debut in 2004.
2. The 31-year-old is Argentina and Barcelona’s all-time top goalscorer.
3. Has won five Ballon d’Or awards, sharing the record with Cristiano Ronaldo.
4. Has won more official trophies with Barcelona (33) than any player in their history, including nine La Liga titles and four Champions League crowns.
5. Ahead of their clash on Saturday, Vitolo’s pick for the best of all time has scored 22 goals in 36 games against his current club.
And, ahead of their Saturday clash, Vitolo has declared that Messi – who has just recovered from a fractured arm – would be the best, even if were to lose a leg.
The 29-year-old told Marca: “To Messi, you take a leg and [he] is still the best, even if he was not 100%, on any play, you can win the game.”
Messi was the match-winner the last time these two sides met, scoring the only goal in a 1-0 Nou Camp win for the Blaugrana.
Vitolo wants to win for the fans
Atletico Madrid’s 2013/14 La Liga title is the only time Spanish football’s top prize has been won by someone other than Real Madrid or Barcelona in the last 14 seasons.
Los Colchoneros are well within range of the Catalan side this season as well, with Diego Simeone’s side sitting just a single point behind their rivals ahead of their clash on Saturday.
And Spanish international Vitolo has said he would love to win the game for the fans, who will revel in seeing the club play in such a high profile fixture.
He added: “We have a desire, for the fans it is very nice to live a game like that.”
Atletico Madrid v Barcelona is a 7.45pm GMT kick-off on Saturday evening.
The post Vitolo: Messi could lose a leg and he would still be the best appeared first on Squawka News.
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