The Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has said that he feels that the Spanish club Barcelona will not be the best club in the world if they did not have the Argentine superstar Lionel Messi. Wenger has said that it is the 25-year-old who makes Barcelona the best club in the world. Messi is close to breaking the all-time record when it comes to scoring in a calendar year. He is just three short of the record held by the German Muller. He has already scored 19 goals in the league this season, which have propelled Barcelona to the top of the table.

They are the favourites to win the title this season, as they already enjoy 11 point advantage over their biggest rivals Real Madrid. Wenger, though, thinks that the presence of the Argentine striker is responsible for the incredible success that the club has achieved since 2008. It is no coincidence that the 25-year-old rose to prominence in 2008 following the departure of Ronaldinho from the team. The former Barcelona manager Guardiola was crucial in making Lionel Messi the important aspect of the team. Messi has been constantly improving since 2008, while moving to the central position last season has helped him score almost 90 goals in this calendar year.

“He has won absolutely everything he can at club level, and beaten all the numbers. Could he be the same player somewhere else? I believe that Barca suits him well, they have lots of possession, so they can keep the ball while he finds a good position to be a threat. So not exactly the same player. But, I reverse it, would Barca be the same without Messi? Certainly not, they quickly would become much more normal,” said Wenger. Arsenal have come up against Barcelona a few times and have been destroyed by Lionel Messi.