Lionel Messi would struggle to find a spot in the starting XI of three top Premier League teams in Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur.
That is the verdict of former England international Danny Mills, who believes the Argentine icon has endured a sharp decline over the last season. Despite that statement, Mills still insists Messi is the greatest footballer he has ever watched, ahead of wantaway Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo.
Messi endured a difficult first campaign at Paris Saint-Germain, scoring six Ligue 1 goals in 25 matches. He did, however, lift the top-flight title to add another trophy to his jam-packed mantlepiece. The French giants failed in their attempts to win the Coupe de France and Champions League, though, exiting at the last-16 stages of both competitions.
When speaking about whether Messi would get into a top Premier League team, Mills said, via Liverpool Echo : "I think he is the greatest footballer I have ever seen. I didn't see [Johan] Cruyff live, I didn't see [Diego] Maradona. Messi is the greatest footballer I have ever seen.
"I know Ronaldo's numbers may be slightly better and he's more of a big-game player and all of the rest of it, but, in terms of a pure footballer, Messi is the greatest. But, would you take Messi now in your team? Probably not.
"We're talking Premier League aren't we realistically. Liverpool wouldn't take him, City wouldn't take him, Tottenham wouldn't take him. No, I don't think they would."
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Mills' comments on Messi come after Liverpool have made three summer signings. Fulham's Fabio Carvalho arrived on a free transfer, Darwin Nunez joined in a £65m deal from Benfica and Calvin Ramsay made the switch from Aberdeen. That is expected to signal the end of the Reds' transfer business, with Jurgen Klopp willing to wait until 2023 to strengthen his midfield despite being linked with moves for Youri Tielemans and Jude Bellingham.
Meanwhile, City have been busy in the transfer window, completing the big-money signing of Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund. Julian Alvarez has made the move from River Plate, while Stefan Ortega has bolstered their goalkeeping options after arriving from Arminia Bielefeld. Kalvin Phillips became their latest addition as the 26-year-old swapped Leeds for Manchester in a £42million deal.
It has been an equally-hectic start to the summer for Tottenham, with Antonio Conte keen to bolster his squad ahead of the opening-day clash against Southampton. Yves Bissouma, Fraser Forster, Ivan Perisic and Richarlison have all joined the North London club as they look to battle for trophies next term.
