Arsenal Vs. Barcelona Preview : Lionel Messi The Best To Ever Play Football

A boy with a dream to play football. A boy who made the dream his reality. A boy who literally has taken football to a new level. A thought which I would have not imagined possible since Zidane retired.

The older generation will argue against this, the era who saw the likes of Pele or Maradona play. But that's old news. We can't compare the likes of those who didn't play in the same generation. At the time Pele's career was at an end, it was time for Maradona's to start.

How can we constantly compare two players, who most of us never really saw live. Many people will tell you either two of them were the best players ever, yet a lot of them, will not have really seen them play week-in and week-out, like we do with current players.

For me, the player who was at best was Zidane. Being French, I remember the craze of him from the very start of '98 to the end of a dramatic climax '10. But he was a man who we can truly say led his country to glory.

Now in a new generation of players such as: Ronaldo, Messi, Rooney...we are witnessing football being raised to another level. Ronaldo showed us at Man. Utd. a player who was unstoppable. His peek only lasted a year or so. We are however seeing him transform back into the player he was this season with Madrid.

Messi, on the other hand, has now shown us in three seasons how he is taking the world by storm. His unique dribble and unstoppable quick turning, has made the world stand still when he is on the ball. However, we still want more from him.

His young age of 23, makes us believe he is to get better with age. I fear that the best has come too early in his career, as we have seen with players such as Owen. Players who have played for so long, after a while, start to get drained by the sport and their bodies can't handle it anymore. There are those who peak early, and those who peak late, lets just hope he hasn't peaked yet.

Since coming into the limelight at a very young age, he has had all eyes on him. He has a unique talent which doesn't allow anyone on the pitch to even get close to tackling him. Unless you do an Inter Milan and keep someone right up his derriere.

At 23, he has already won a mansion of awards which include the Fifa World Player of the Year (2) and European Football Player of the Year. There is also more than 30 individual awards stacked up since 2005.  He has already won every cup possible with Barcelona. What next?

In sight at this moment is another La Liga title, as Barcelona fronts Madrid in the league; along with other domestic cups in Spain. However, the big one they want back in their hands in the Champions League.

The only thing stopping them: Arsenal

As for Messi, last year, facing Arsenal in the Quarter-Finals, he demonstrated how he could literally kill off a team by himself, scoring all 4 goals which sent Arsenal back home in the hope of "another year."

Last year, the Arsenal team was filled with injuries, with the likes of Arshavin, Van Persie, Fabregas and Gallas all missing the 2nd leg of the tie.

This year, on the other hand, there should be no excuses, Arsenal have been on fine form this season, 2nd behind Man. Utd. in the league, and still in every cup possible; the only team who can win the quadruple. Arsenal also have most of their players on the squad.

Nasri, their star this season, is a doubt, having pulled his hamstring less than 2 weeks ago. Arsene Wenger said after the game on Saturday, that Nasri still has a chance of being fit to play on Wednesday, which gives a huge boost to Arsenal fans.