Mark Noble has shared what his ex-West Ham teammate Manuel Lanzini told him about Argentina superstar Lionel Messi.
Noble has been speaking to the Guardian about all things football and unsurprisingly, one of the topics was Argentina’s Lionel Messi inspired World Cup win.
The 35-year-old global superstar was a standout player for his country out in Qatar, and led his side to their first World Cup win since 1986.
It was the icing on the cake for Messi’s unbelievable career and there is now surely no debate – the Argentinian star is the greatest of all time.
Messi being crowned as a world champion was what most of the footballing world wanted to see. He has done so much for the game and inspired a whole new generation of young players.
The Paris Saint-Germain superstar’s reach is definitely worldwide. He is adored by the fans, and respected by his fellow pros. Noble’s revelation about Messi proves just how highly rated he is in the game…
Mark Noble shares what he’s been told about Argentina superstar Lionel Messi
There is someone at the London Stadium who obviously knows the ex-Barcelona ace very well indeed.
Manuel Lanzini was considered to be a key member of the Argentina squad heading into the 2018 World Cup, before he ruptured his ACL.
Things have never been the same for Manu since, but to have experienced Messi in such close quarters must have been a real thrill for him.
And Noble told The Guardian what he’s heard about the mercurial South American from Lanzini:
What it must be like to be Messi. He’s on another planet. I watched his documentary, and you look at the experience he had losing three Copa América finals in a row and losing the World Cup final and then always being compared to Maradona. He is the greatest that’s ever walked the earth. I remember when Chelsea played against him and JT [John Terry] came flying across and he was on the touchline ready to try and body him into the stands and Messi stood there, took it and bounced JT. I also remember Manu Lanzini coming back from Argentina duty and I was like: ‘Oh mate, what was Messi like?’ Manu’s a genius with the ball but he said: ‘I swear to you, when he passed me the ball, I was so nervous because he was on my team.’ Manu said Messi would be floating about in training and then he would think: ‘Oh, do you know what? I want to win this game.’ And he’d score six goals.
What a player Messi is, and it’s a joy to hear Noble talk about him with such enthusiasm. The West Ham legend really does have a childlike fascination with the game and that’s what made him so special to the Hammers fans.
I agree with Noble – Argentina superstar Lionel Messi is the best footballer to have ever graced this earth.
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