Barcelona winger Pedro Leon has joined the list of admirers who just cannot stop gushing about Lionel Messi.
Messi is widely considered to the best player in the world and has enjoyed the adulation of fans, pundits and fellow players for the past two years.
Now, teammate Leon has added his voice to the chorus by telling the press:"He is the best player in the world, and he has no comparison with any other player.
"Lionel Messi is irreplaceable, but we have won games when he hasn't been playing.
"He works hard every day and it shows on the field. He always wants to further himself and play here for a long time."
Messi won the European Golden Boot on Thursday and then declared that he wanted to continue playing for Barcelona for many more years.
The mercurial Argentinean started from the bench against Rubin Kazan in the midweek Champions League encounter, but couldn't help his side win the game, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
Leon feels the result was down to the defensive tactics applied by the Russians - a ploy he feels more and more teams are adopting as they seek to disrupt Barca's slick passing and movement.
"Opposing teams defend against us a lot, but we are creating chances. We had many in Kazan, and we have to improve our aim for the games to come, but we are working well.
"We can improve our performance in front of goal, but we are calm about the situation," he said.
Barca play Real Mallorca at home on Sunday. A win for the Catalans would see them reduce the gap between themselves and leaders Valencia to one point.
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