Fabio Capello Says Lionel Messi Is 'The Only Genius in World Football'

Former Real Madrid and Juventus boss Fabio Capello has hailed Barcelona forward Lionel Messi as being a class apart from his rivals in the football world. 

The Italian spoke to the media on Monday ahead of Atletico Madrid's UEFA Champions League last-16 clash with Juve, but he also gave his opinion on the Barcelona talisman.

"Leo Messi is not a footballer, he is a genius and the only genius in world football," he said, per Marca's Paco Roche and Gerardo Riquelme. "He has not won much silverware with Argentina but that is because he cannot do it all alone."

The considerable praise came after Messi scored his 30th goal of the season in as many appearances in Barca's 1-0 win over Real Valladolid on Saturday. He also has 17 assists for the campaign.

The goal served as a reminder of Messi's almost unrivalled longevity at the top of the game:

His efforts have helped Barcelona win more than 30 honours, including nine La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions Leagues.

Although he is yet to win silverware with his national side, it's not for a lack of trying. He's La Albiceleste's record goalscorer with 65 strikes in 128 appearances, and he played a key role in the team reaching the 2014 FIFA World Cup final, as well as the final of the Copa America in 2015 and 2016.

Though Capello's comments would indicate a preference for the diminutive No. 10, he's also an admirer of Messi's longstanding rival Cristiano Ronaldo, whom he feels has been a valuable addition at Juventus:

"Cristiano has woken up a lot of Juventus players. Bringing him to the club has been a wake-up call for many players and he has made them improve.

"He is very important for Juventus because having someone as good as him at training every day and someone who takes care of himself in the way Ronaldo does, is hugely significant for a team that was coasting."

The 34-year-old has taken to life in Italy like a duck to water since he moved to Juve from Real Madrid last summer:

The Bianconeri are on course to win their eighth Serie A title in a row this season, and though they're out of the Coppa Italia, they had won it in each of the last four campaigns.

Juve will be hoping Ronaldo can make the difference in Europe. They've reached two Champions League finals in recent years but were beaten by Messi's Barca in 2015 and Ronaldo's Madrid in 2017.

When it comes to Champions League knockout matches, perhaps even Messi can't match Ronaldo's decisiveness.

Ronaldo scored 22 goals in Madrid derbies during his time in the Spanish capital, so he could make the difference in what could be a tricky tie for the Old Lady.