Messi is the face of soccer, says Griezmann

BARCELONA, July 17 (IANS): Barcelona's last signing Antoine Griezmann has said that his new teammate Lionel Messi is the best soccer player in the world and the face of the sport.

"For me, he (Messi) is the number one, like Lebron (James) in basketball. They're the ideal," the French international forward told Barcelona media on Tuesday, reports Efe news.

"Lebron is the face of the NBA, and for me, Messi is the face of soccer because he has something different that others don't have. We can only see (such talent) every 30 years or so," Griezmann added.

Griezmann, the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner with France, also praised the La Liga champion side, saying that "all teams are different from Barcelona at the level of playing style."