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'Messi is the perfect footballer' - Fabregas 'thankful' he was able to play alongside Barca superstar
The Monaco midfielder, who took in a successful spell at Camp Nou earlier in his career, has talked up his old team-mate's unique talents
Lionel Messi is the "perfect footballer", according to Cesc Fabregas, who says he's "thankful" that he got the chance to play alongside several of the world's best.
Messi is currently in the middle of his 17th season at Barca, where he has enjoyed unprecedented success on both team and individual levels, winning four Champions League crowns and six Ballon d'Ors among a whole host of other major honours.
Fabregas, who was able to witness the Argentine's talents up close at Camp Nou between 2011 and 2014, thinks his old team-mate has no equal in the modern game and says he will always see the 33-year-old as a source of inspiration.
What has Fabregas said?
The Monaco star paid tribute to Messi before also hailing Thierry Henry, Carles Puyol and John Terry when asked to describe his perfect footballer.
Fabregas also labelled himself as a master of the game when it comes to the art of passing, as he told reporters: "From all the players that I played with? I don't really need to pick many, I will pick Lionel Messi and you have the perfect footballer right there. I don't have to go that far.
"I would have the speed of Thierry Henry, the quality and intelligence of Messi, the heart of Carles Puyol or John Terry. The last pass, I don't think I will change that for anyone, I would stick to mine to be honest!
"That's the kind of player I look up to. I like to look at the very, very best and I was thankful always that God gave me the opportunity to play with the very, very best for many years."
Fabregas and Messi at Barcelona
Fabregas worked with Messi for three years at Barca, during which time they managed to win six trophies, including one league title and the Club World Cup.
In addition to scoring 42 goals in 151 games for the Blaugrana, Fabregas also recorded 50 assists, with a high percentage of those passes being finished off by his Argentine colleague.
The Spaniard helped to bring the best out of Messi in his first season at Camp Nou in 2011-12, which saw the diminutive magician become the first player in history to score over 70 goals in a single campaign.
How did Fabregas end up at Monaco?
Fabregas joined Chelsea after leaving Barca in 2014, and spent five years at Stamford Bridge before being snapped up by Monaco in January 2019.
The 33-year-old has now revealed that former Paris Saint-Germain defender David Luiz played a key role in his move to Stade Louis II.
The Brazilian, who played with Fabregas at Chelsea at the time, convinced him that Ligue 1 was the perfect environment for him to express himself freely after a frustrating end to his Blues career.
"It's something that David Luiz, having played at PSG for three seasons told me. It's that people love running with the ball," said Fabregas. "They don't care who you are, they just come at you fast, and they love to dribble.
"Tactically as well, it's improving with these new, young, coaches coming up to the top teams, to improve all this young talent so it's interesting to live it as well.
"From my perspective, having lived what I lived in the last 18 years and experiencing now this move to Ligue 1. It's very good for me to learn things."
