According to a report by Barca Universal on Thursday October 15, 2026, former Barcelona forward Pedro Rodríguez has explained why he believes Lionel Messi is a one-of-a-kind footballer, insisting that the Argentine continues to demonstrate his extraordinary quality despite reaching the later stages of his career.

Pedro, who played alongside Messi during Barcelona’s most successful period in recent history, delivered a glowing assessment of his former teammate in an interview with SPORT following his retirement announcement.

The former Spain international was asked whether Messi was the best player he had shared a dressing room with, and he responded without hesitation.

Pedro highlighted Messi’s remarkable statistics, versatility and continued ability to influence matches as the reasons he considers the Argentine different from every other footballer he has played alongside.

According to Pedro, Messi’s greatness goes far beyond the number of goals he has scored o the trophies he has won.

The former Barcelona attacker believes the Argentine’s ability to contribute in different areas of the game makes him exceptionally difficult to compare with other players.

Pedro pointed to Messi’s goalscoring, dribbling, vision and creativity, explaining that the forward can change the outcome of a match with a single pass or a decisive finish.

He also emphasised Messi’s influence throughout a game, noting that his presence is always felt on the pitch and that he regularly dictates how attacking moves develop.

For Pedro, this combination of qualities makes Messi a complete footballer whose contribution extends beyond individual statistics.

The former forward also highlighted the Argentine’s longevity, arguing that his performances at an advanced stage of his career continue to demonstrate why he remains so highly regarded.

Pedro enjoyed the privilege of sharing dressing rooms with several world-class players during his career at Barcelona and Chelsea.

Among those he mentioned were Ronaldinho, Neymar and Eden Hazard, while his former Barcelona teammates included Xavi Hernández, Sergio Busquets and Carles Puyol.

He also recognised the quality of other prominent footballers, including John Terry and Sergio Ramos.

Despite playing alongside such an impressive collection of talent, Pedro remained firm in his assessment of Messi.

The former forward explained that he had experienced many memorable moments with exceptional players but had never encountered another footballer with the same combination of abilities as the Argentine.

Rather than focusing solely on Messi’s goals, Pedro’s assessment underlines the Argentine’s capacity to create chances, beat defenders, control attacking situations and make decisive contributions when his team needs them.