For Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessie, Lionel Messiand Cristiano Ronaldo aren’teven on his list of the best players in the history of the sport. The Catalanssecured hissigning on a free transfer after the Ivorianrefusedto renew his contract.
The 25-year-oldhas signed a four-year deal that will keep him with the La Liga side until 2026. At Barca, Kessie is projected to be a significant player.
Under Stefano Pioli, the Ivory Coast captain played in a number of roles, including as an offensive midfielder for portions of the season.A vital cog in the Xavi midfield will be Kessie, whojoined thelikes of Pedri, Sergio Busquets, Frenkie de Jong, Gavi, and Nico Gonzalez in the midfield area.
No place for Messi and Ronaldo in Franck Kessie’s all-time best list
Astonishingly, when asked to choose his four all-time favorite soccerplayers, the 25-year-old came up with such an unusual list.As compared to other new arrivals, Kessie demonstrates a deep affection for his country, instead ofmentioning stars like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
“Didier Drogba, Yaya Toure, Kolo Toure, and Boubacar Barry are my favourite football legends,” he was quoted as saying byBarca TV.
In the eyes of many Barcelona fans, Messi is the best player to ever step onto the Camp Nou. After moving to Barcelona from his own country as a youth, the Argentine captain stayed for 21years at Camp Nou.A total of 672 goals in 778 games helped him to become the all-time appearance and goalscorer for the club.
Even though the forward said in the summer of 2020 that he intended to leave Barcelona,the club disagreed and refused to lower its €700 millionrelease clause. Iteffectively prevented him from leaving for free.
The next summer, things changed for the Blaugrana and the Argentine was ready and eager to remain. However, the club’s financial woes forced him to make his historic transfer to Paris Saint-Germain.
