Victor Valdes has asserted his view of Lionel Messi as ‘God’, explaining how Barcelona ‘will always be dependent’ on him.
The Argentine is out of action for the next six to eight weeks in a bid to recover from a torn muscle in the back of his left thigh, leading to increasing debate over the Blaugrana’s preparedness in his absence.
“Messi is the best, for me Messi is God,” Valdes has offered this week as his view on the situation.
“He is the best and always will be, for what he has given the team and what he has allowed me to enjoy as a teammate.
“For me, Barca will always be dependent on him because he is the best in the world. And because I suffer as a teammate in training.
“He knows that the team relies heavily on him. I see him sad. By default players are selfish and do not understand the inability to play the game.
“Knowing him and knowing his winning attitude, I have no doubt that he will do his part, which in fact he is already doing.”
The goalkeeper mused on his impending exit from the club in the summer and where he’d like to see his replacement emerge from.
“One day a mad man named Van Gaal opted for the child that I was, he took a gamble and said: ‘You’re play’. To me, in the end I would love for a homegrown ‘keeper to replace me.”
Andoni Zubizarreta listed one of Valdes’ saves at Real Betis on Sunday as comparable with Gordon Banks’ famous stop against Pele.
“It made me excited to read that. I believe that his is better and had more significance because it was at the World Cup finals, but it is an honour for me to be compared to him.”
