According to Catalan newspaper Sport, UEFA president, Michel Platini, spoke to reporters in the Santiago Bernabeu, where he watched Real Madrid lose to AC Milan, praising Barcelona forward Lionel Messi as the best footballer at the moment and declaring he deserves all individual awards of the year including the prestigious ‘Ballon d’Or’ award and the FIFA player of the year.

“I should be diplomatic about what I say in the home of Real Madrid but the player that I like is an Argentine who plays for Barcelona,” he said.

“I like Messi. Last year he has had a fantastic season and this year, I think he will win all the awards for best player. Just like last year (when) it was for Cristiano Ronaldo, this will be a good year for Leo. I think he deserves the recognition,” he added.

The former French international also praised the contributions of other top players among the clubs competing in the Champions League, assuring the competition’s competitiveness.

“There are other players that I like, such as Gerrard, Lampard, Fernando Torres and Kaka, a generation of great players that allows competition between the big European clubs. This fact ensures that no club has ever won the Champions League twice in a row.”