 "Argentine Lionel Messi poses with his six golden balls during the Ballon d'Or award ceremony in Paris")
Spain and Barcelona legend Carles Puyol believes that Argentine striker Lionel Messi will be considered the best footballer of all time.
Puyol's remarks come as Messi (Barcelona) broke Pele's record of registering the most number of goals for a single club. The Argentine striker recorded his 644th strike for Barcelona, surpassing Pele's record of 643 goals for Santos.
"If you ask me who Michael Jordan is, I will say that he is the best basketball player in history. I think Messi will have the same status -- the best footballer of all time. It is also talked about whether Michael Jordan is the best in history, and these are opinions, and sometimes it is difficult to be objective. It is difficult for a Real Madrid fan to recognise that Messi is the best," Goal.com quoted Puyol as saying.
"We have been lucky to have him but I really say that the numbers are there, these have not been invented and they show that he is the best," he added.
Puyol also believes it will be difficult for a future player to go beyond what the current Barcelona captain has achieved.
"Now, we say no, but hopefully in the future, there will be someone better. For football and sport lovers, it would be good because we would see incredible things. I see it being difficult, if not impossible, for someone to be at that level for so many years but we will have to wait and, for now, enjoy Leo," said Puyol.
There's another Pele record that Messi will have in his sights. The 77 goals that the Brazilian scored for his country is still a South American record. Messi has 71 for Argentina and needs just six more to equal that number.
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