Messi speaks of his admiration for Iniesta

The Argentinian hailed the way that Iniesta makes the game look so easy, despite having a difficult role in the team.

"I always picture him with the ball at his feet. That's the way I have got used to seeing him. He does everything well, with simplicity. At times, it may look like he's not doing anything, but in fact he's doing it all. Everything is different with Andrés. The hardest thing to do in football is to make it look like everything is easy, effortless, and that's Andrés.

"He has more contact with the ball than me; he's the person who starts moves, who gets things going. I know how difficult it is to do what he does. His play is different, it comes from when he was very little, even though he has clearly improved over time and with different coaches. Maybe you could say that both of us have something of the street in the way we play".

Messi also believes that he and the Spaniard are very similar, as they are both quiet people who rarely shout.

"We're more similar in the fact that we don't talk much. He sits in one corner, I sit in another. But we cross paths, we connect; with just a look we understand each other. We don't need more than that. On the pitch, I like him to be near me, especially when the game takes a turn for the worse, when things are difficult. That's when I say to him: 'Come closer, I want you by my side.' He takes control and responsibility; he leads the team. In the finals, Andrés, Xavi, Busquets and I have always liked to come together to give us a numerical advantage, to control the ball and the game".

The forward added: "We understand each other very well; we don't need to shout, we know".