Xavi and Lionel Messi shared the pitch for years at Barcelona, building one of the most dominant eras in modern football history.
Both products of La Masia, their understanding of the game developed in parallel, giving Xavi a unique perspective on Messi’s level and what set him apart from others.
Having witnessed countless elite players up close, the former midfielder has now revealed who came closest to matching the Argentine superstar during his impressive career.
Xavi pointed to Neymar as the player who most closely matched Messi’s level, recalling the Brazilian’s immediate impact after arriving at Barcelona.
In an interview with Romario TV, he said: “Neymar arrived at a time when Messi was also around, but he was a bombshell for me. What I saw in the first week was spectacular. I haven’t seen a player closer to Messi than the 21-year-old Neymar who came to Barcelona.”
The assessment highlights just how highly Neymar was rated during his early years in Spain, when his technical ability and creativity stood out even among elite teammates.
However, the trajectory of his career has since shifted, with injuries and inconsistency contributing to a noticeable decline from those peak expectations.
Now 34, Neymar is considered unlikely to feature in the upcoming World Cup for Brazil, a situation that places him far from the level once projected during his Barcelona rise.
Despite praising Neymar, Xavi ranked Ronaldinho’s impact at Barcelona above both him and Rivaldo.
He pointed to the Brazilian’s transformative influence on the club during a crucial period in their history.
“I would say that Ronaldinho’s two years, for me, are a step above Neymar’s and Rivaldo’s due to Messi’s presence [during Neymar’s tenure] and the difficult period the club was going through during Rivaldo’s time there,” the former midfielder said.
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