Back in the day, Xavi Hernandez was one of the most admired players in the world. He was a pivotal member of the Barcelona team that won everything under Pep Guardiola, and also the brain of the Spanish side that won the FIFA World Cup for the first time.
Now, he's the face of an FC Barcelona team that is getting back on its feet. Therefore, he's one of the most prominent voices in world soccer. Whenever Xavi talks, he makes headlines.
He's also someone who's not afraid to speak his mind, which explains why the media follows him so much. Xavi recently had an interesting take, as he claimed that the best goalkeeper in the world is Marc-André ter Stegen.
Xavi believes ter Stegen is the best goalkeeper on Earth
"I know ter Stegen’s personality because I played with him. He’s a very methodical person and right now, he’s the best goalkeeper in the world. He helps us even more because of our way of playing," Xavi said, via Barca Universal.
Of course, it shouldn't be a surprise that he praises one of his own players. At the end of the day, Xavi has to give his team confidence and claiming there's no one better than ter Stegen should give his keeper a huge boost.
That said, many will probably disagree with his take. Thibaut Courtois is widely regarded as the best at his position, though it makes sense that Xavi doesn't put a Real Madrid player above the rest. Emiliano Martinez also made a lot of admirers, especially in the last World Cup, but he may need to make a move to win that reputation.
However, ter Stegen has certainly made a case to be considered among the world's best goalkeepers, and he's been a wall this season. In fact, he already has 23 clean sheets this season and is just two away from breaking Petr Cech's record (24) for the most clean sheets in a single season in the top five leagues in Europe this century.
