Former Barcelona striker David Villa may have left European football for good, but he is one of the few star names who won trophies along with Lionel Messi.

Villa was brought to the club by Pep Guardiola and this move surprised many since he was coming as the replacement for Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Both players are extremely different in their style of play, but Villa managed to bring more trophies to the club than Ibrahimovic. After winning the likes of Champions League and La Liga medals, Villa went on to play for Atletico Madrid before coming to the MLS with New York City FC.

After having played with several top players in the last decade, Villa is qualified to suggest that Messi is the best player of all time. The Barcelona superstar holds numerous records for his achievements at the Catalan outfit.

Even though he has been unsuccessful on the international front, his achievements with Barcelona alone are enough to label him as the best player in the world according to Villa. Pele has often been regarded as the greatest player ever, but he won 29 honours at club and international level. Following the recent Copa del Rey victory, Messi has taken his tally to 30 honours at all levels of the game.

“Lionel Messi is the best. I hope that he keeps playing because the World Cup in 2018 in Russia will not be the same without Messi,” said Villa. Argentina were in a spot of bother when the superstar announced his retirement from international football after a third successive defeat in the final at the Copa America 2016 centenary edition. After having lost to Chile in the previous tournament, Argentina suffered a loss on penalties. The absence of Messi would be catastrophic for the national team and they have somehow managed to convince the player to return.