Best in history' Messi is an example for everyone - Puyol

The former Barcelona captain says the star forward has shown the rest of his team how to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the collective.Lionel Messi is the best player in history and leads by example with the way he sacrifices himself for the sake of Barcelona, according to Carles Puyol.The former Blaugrana captain says the Argentine shows the way with his selfless approach to the game, putting the club in with a great chance of beating Juventus in Saturday's Champions League final.For me, he is the best player in history, Puyol told L'Equipe. It is difficult to have an opinion on players from the past as I have only seen them on videos, if at all. But Leo has been the best for so many years and with amazing regularity, and if anything he continues to improve.
Originally it was all about superb pieces of play, but now he is a rounded player. Sometimes when you have so many good players it is difficult for them to sacrifice themselves for their team-mates. But when you see how Leo goes about his work you know that if the best player in the world can do it, then others will do it too.The partnership that Messi has struck up with Luis Suarez and Neymar has captured plenty of headlines, but Puyol insists that coach Luis Enrique deserves a lot of credit for the way the team has functioned during his first season in charge at Camp Nou.We talk a lot about three of the best players in the world, but it is not just about them. When you look at the whole team, such as the strength of the defence, this is to the coach's merit. There has been a real evolution in Barca's game. Early on in the season there were times when their play was stretched, but that is something they have really improved.To manage the dressing room is not easy, because players we can be selfish. Take me, for example: I had the chance to play regularly under all my coaches, but if ever I was left out I would be in his face asking why.Luis is very attentive, he always cares about you when you have problems, and I think he is the same as a coach.He has no double standards, and we can see the team is working well.The 37-year-old believes, though, that beating Juventus will be no easy feat.This year I was lucky enough to go to Italy and I was amazed by the way that Juventus work.They opened the doors of the club and even the dressing room.They have a fantastic operation and a magnificent stadium, and their current success is no accident.