Football

Messi beat Andrea Iniesta to this

Published

5 years ago

April 29, 2019

Olu Emmanuel

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Lionel Messi was showered in praise by Ernesto Valverde and his team-mates after claiming another LaLiga title.

Ernesto Valverde hailed the importance of superstar Lionel Messi following Barcelona’s eighth LaLiga triumph in 11 years.

Messi came off the bench and scored the winning goal in a 1-0 victory over Levante on Saturday – delivering a 26th league crown for Barca.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s 33rd LaLiga goal of the season saw him clinch his 10th league medal – surpassing Andres Iniesta.

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Barca head coach Valverde – whose team are also in contention to win the Champions League and Copa del Rey – heaped praise on Messi post-game, telling reporters: “I can’t say much more about Leo Messi.

“Messi is at the centre of all of this. The time he’s spent at Barca, as well as eras where there’ve been different coaches, the Leo Messi era has had a lot to do with him.

“If there was any protagonist or any name above anyone else it’s him. We’re not going to deny it, he’s the person who defines our style in a certain way, and his level of competitiveness pushes us all.”

Barca team-mate Luis Suarez – who has netted 21 LaLiga goals this term – added via Movistar: “We have to be realistic that he is the best player in the world of all time.

“We have to enjoy him every minute he plays, we have to be proud of how great he is.”