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Yaya Toure has picked Andres Iniesta over Lionel Messi as his best Barcelona teammate. The former midfielder claimed that the Spaniard, who announced his retirement this week, was even better than Xavi.
Toure stated that while Messi and Xavi were great players, Iniesta had something different about him and was a pleasure to play with. He said (via GOAL):
"Messi was top, Iniesta was top, Xavi was great but I will say Iniesta. He had something different. Playing with him, wow! It was something else."
Toure paid tribute to Messi's Barcelona career too when the Argentine announced he was leaving the club in 2021. The Ivory Coast legend took to Instagram and posted an image of them with the caption:
"It is very emotional to see you say goodbye to your dream club FC Barcelona. It was my dream as a young child to play for Barca and to be able to play with you has made it so much more special. What a special player you are, no other player has given so much joy, so many unforgettable moments and so much success to one club. Thank you my friend for bringing us so much happiness. I am sure you will bring your magic to anywhere you go!"
Yaya Toure played 81 matches with Andres Iniesta at Barcelona but the two never combined for a goal. He also played 92 matches with Lionel Messi and assisted the Argentine four times.
Lionel Messi pays tribute to former Barcelona teammate
Lionel Messi took to Instagram this week to send a message to Andres Iniesta following his retirement announcement. He stated that the Spaniard was a magical player who he enjoyed playing with the most.
"One of the teammates with the most magic and one of those I enjoyed playing with the most. The ball is going to miss you, and so will all of us...I wish you the best always. You're a phenomenon," Messi wrote.
Messi and Iniesta played 489 matches together at Barcelona and combined for 53 goals. Forty-three of those goals were scored by the Argentine while the Spaniard chipped in with the other 10.
Following his time at Barcelona, Andres Iniesta joined Vissel Kobe in 2018 and helped the club win the J-League in 2023. He then played for Emirates Club in the UAE for one season before calling time on his storied career.
