Villa: I joked with Valdés, "If Messi ever wants to play goalkeeper, he could take your spot."

Recently, Spanish legendary striker David Villa, in an interview on the Spanish podcast "Resonancia de Corazón," praised his former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi as an incomparable presence among all the players he has ever seen.

Villa stated: "Among all the players I have witnessed firsthand, no one can compare to Messi. Before joining Barcelona, I would also watch his matches on TV broadcasts and had faced him as an opponent. But when I actually stepped onto Barcelona's training ground and played alongside Messi, the awe he inspired in me was three times greater than before."

"Messi does everything perfectly. Anything he wants to do, he can do it exceptionally well." Villa recalled joking with Valdés (former Barcelona goalkeeper) that if Messi ever wanted to be a goalkeeper, he could take his place. Villa added: "If you put him as a midfield libero, he could play better than Xavi and Iniesta. In training, he has also played as a center-forward; despite his short stature, his heading technique is excellent. As for free-kick technique, he is undoubtedly the best in the team as well. It's truly extraordinary."

Speaking about his partnership with Messi, Villa said frankly: "To me, he is the best. The other day I saw a statistic: a large portion of my 49 goals for Barcelona came from Messi's assists. He is a genius on the pitch."

When asked whether "Messi's ability stems more from talent or hard work," Villa responded that it is a combination of both. "Messi certainly possesses special, innate talent. At the same time, he has continuously evolved and shaped himself. He has excellent physical and technical qualities, but he has also honed strong mental fortitude. The 2022 World Cup is a perfect example. He carried the entire national team on his shoulders—not for one, two, or three matches, but in every single game, until he finally achieved his dream of winning the World Cup."