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Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi? Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp weighs in on best footballer debate
Jurgen Klopp has revealed he believes Lionel Messi to be the best footballer he has ever seen.
The Liverpool manager was asked about the Barcelona icon as the Merseysiders prepare to take on the Spanish giants on their own turf on Wednesday.
Whether Messi is the world’s best footballer is a topic of great debate amongst fans, with many also arguing in favour of Ronaldo.
But the German seemed in no doubt as to which he thinks is best.
“Messi would be the player at number one. Cristiano Ronaldo is in that for sure but the rest we have to see,” Klopp said.
“I coached a few good players but they didn’t finish their careers yet.
“I didn’t see Pele live but there are a lot of good players. Lionel Messi is for me the best.”
The Argentine wonder has been without a doubt the star attraction for Barcelona for years.
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As a result, he is always the main talking point when coming up against English clubs - with Messi having scored against every club he’s faced, with one exception; Liverpool.
And while he will no doubt be desperate to add to his combined 22 goals against English clubs, Klopp seemed to be left exasperated by questions relating to him.
He added: “Before the press conference it feels like I had 20 interviews: it is not only about Messi but of course it is about him as well.
“Can we concentrate on Messi? In some moments we should. But they have the highest quality team, they are already Spanish champions.
“I would say a draw would not be the worst result in the world, not that we go for it but it would be OK.
“So many people came to Barcelona and had a plan and in the end, they got a proper knock.
“But there were a few who could really cause problems: we saw the game against Real Sociedad and they did well, Levante did well a couple of days ago.
“The better the opponent is, the higher the stakes.
“We will face them still and I am really looking forward to it but it will be a tough job.”
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