Javier Tebas Calls 'Icon' Lionel Messi Most Important Player in La Liga History

La Liga president Javier Tebas has hailed Lionel Messi as the league's most important player in history, while also stating he would love Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola to return to Spain to coach at some point. 

As reported by Marca's Conor Clancy, Tebas showered Barcelona's biggest star with praise and called the two coaches "elite":

"Messi is part of Barcelona and will stay there. We consider him part of LaLiga Santander and he transcends normal players.

"He's an icon, the most important player that has passed through our league. He is a level above. [...]

"I always say that I'd like coaches like Mourinho and Guardiola to return to coaching in our league. They are two great coaches with their personality and controversies, but also with their styles on the pitch.

"They have proved to be the elite."

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Tebas has praised Messi on several occasions since Cristiano Ronaldo departed Real Madrid for Juventus in the summer. In December he said the Argentina international is "way ahead" of Ronaldo, per Sport's Jordi Gil.

The 31-year-old is in the midst of yet another excellent season, scoring 22 goals and adding 10 assists in La Liga already. He's saved the Catalans with some late-match heroics on several occasions and is arguably the main reason why the team currently leads the domestic standings.

He also bagged six goals during the group stages of the UEFA Champions League, but his form has dipped a bit of late.

Messi has just one goal in his last four outings across all competitions and was far from his best against Lyon in the first leg of the round of 16 of the Champions League:

Lyon held the La Liga giants to a scoreless draw in France and had several great chances to take the lead. They'll travel to the Camp Nou full of confidence on March 13, even if Barcelona remain the favourites.

Per The Times' Martyn Ziegler Tebas has also been linked with a switch to England, as he's a leading candidate to replace Richard Scudamore as the Premier League's chief executive.

La Liga have denied speculation Tebas is eyeing up a switch:

The 56-year-old has been president of La Liga since 2013, turning Spain's top division into a commercial juggernaut. His aggressive approach has included the controversial plans to stage matches in Miami, despite widespread disapproval from many, including the Spanish Football Federation, per Sport's Ramon Fuentes.