Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has claimed that Lionel Messi has made the Spanish giants "universal" due to his success on the field.
On Monday, Messi won the Ballon d'Or prize for a fifth time as he fended off competition from teammate Neymar and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo.
Bartomeu has claimed that Messi "deserves everything" that has come his way because he has contributed heavily to the club's worldwide popularity.
"Messi deserves everything. He is the best player in history; the statistics say so and he isn't going to stop here. There has never been a player like him in history and nobody will ever exceed him," Bartomeu told La Repubblica.
"We have had great players before, from the days of Laszlo Kubala and Luis Suarez. [Johan] Cruyff, as a player, made us relevant again and as a manager he put us on the map with the European Cup win in 1992. Ronaldinho made us global and Messi has made us universal.
"We don't want to win in just any way. This is the Dutch school of [Rinus] Michels, Cruyff, [Louis] Van Gaal and [Frank] Rijkaard. At the centre of every decision is the ball; if you treat it well, you will be rewarded. We are a global club, respected and admired, with the mission to entertain. When I am abroad people say to me: 'I'm not a Barcelona fan, but they captivate me.'"
Messi, 28, has scored 430 goals in 503 games for Barcelona and has helped the Catalan outfit win seven La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues.
Matt Law
