Barcelona icon Iniesta chooses ex-Man City star as best footballer he has seen after being asked to ignore Lionel Messi

Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta picked ex-Manchester City star David Silva as the world's best footballer when asked to ignore Lionel Messi in a recent interview.

It was highly likely that the midfielder, who made 674 appearances for Barcelona, would have picked the 36-year-old Inter Miami attacker as the world's best. The pair shared the pitch for La Blaugrana on 489 occasions, registering 53 joint goal contributions in the process.

Iniesta, who is also a four-time UEFA Champions League winner and nine-time La Liga champion, told YouTube channel Nude Project when asked the question:

"For me, I have always liked Silva very much. David Silva."

Iniesta and Silva have also played together a fair few times for Spain. The pair shared the pitch on 92 occasions and managed three joint goal contributions.

Silva will go down as one of the best Manchester City players ever. He joined the club in the summer of 2010 for £24 million and remained with the Cityzens for 10 years. During his stay, Silva made 436 appearances across all competitions, bagging 77 goals and 140 assists.

The former Spanish midfielder won the Premier League four times and the FA Cup twice, among other honors with the current English top flight champions. Silva announced his retirement from professional football in July 2023.

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Sergio Aguero believes it's a matter of time before Lionel Messi returns to Barcelona

Lionel Messi (via Getty Images)

Lionel Messi's former Argentina teammate Sergio Aguero has warned Inter Miami that the 36-year-old attacker could rejoin Spanish giants Barcelona in the future. The 2022 World Cup winner moved to the Herons only this summer from Paris Saint-Germain.

Although rumors persisted about a potential return this summer, Messi decided against a move back to the Catalan side and joined the MLS instead. Addressing the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner's potential return to La Blaugrana, Aguero told AS (via Goal):

"Sometimes I just think it’s a matter of time. Leo always said that he loves Barcelona."

Aguero and Messi, who are also close friends, have shared the pitch 90 times, managing 18 joint goal contributions. The latter stayed with his former Spanish side for 21 years, during which he made 778 senior team appearances, bagging 672 goals and 303 assists. He won La Liga 10 times and the UEFA Champions League trophy thrice, among other honors at the club.

Apart from a potential farewell game for Messi, a transfer to represent the club in competitive fixtures seems unlikely.