In an exclusive interview with Soccer Laduma, former FC Barcelona captain Xavi Hernandez recalled Lionel Messi's first training sessions with the senior team, explaining he had never seen anyone like him.
Read: Xavi's Message To SA Football
The 36-year-old, who spent 24 years at the Camp Nou club, was able to follow Messi's progress from his teenage days to becoming a world superstar first-hand
Xavi told Soccer Laduma that the experienced players could immediately see Messi was something special.
"I remember seeing someone really gifted and special," he said.
"None of us had ever seen something like him at his age, and from the beginning we understood that he was going to be the best.
"It's true that at that time we couldn't expect that he was going to be the best player ever in football history, but we could already see that he was really special.
"I think that after the first season with Pep, where we won six titles, we learned that Leo was going to be the best ever in history."
Read: Aubameyang Reveals Why He Chose Africa Over Europe
Buy this week's special edition of Soccer Laduma, issue 1000, to read the full interview, in which the Barcelona legend chats about his memories of South Africa, Jose Mourinho as assistant coach at Barca, and his memories of Benni McCarthy and Lucas Radebe.
