Not Messi – Yaya Toure picks Barcelona legend as best player he has ever played with

After spending over six years playing football outside Europe, Andres Iniesta has finally decided to hang up his boots.

The legendary Barcelona midfielder has recently announced his retirement from professional football, thus bringing an end to a career that spanned over two decades.

During his illustrious career, Iniesta played with multiple star players, including Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Xavi, Ronaldinho and David Villa, among others.

Yaya Toure picks Iniesta over Messi & Xavi

Yaya Toure is another such legendary football Iniesta has shared the pitch with, during his time at Barcelona.

In the wake of Iniesta’s retirement, Toure was recently asked about the best player he has ever played with.

The former Manchester City midfielder named three players in particular: Lionel Messi, Xavi and Iniesta. But he had no hesitation in picking Iniesta as the best player he had ever played with.

“Messi was top, Iniesta was top, Xavi was great but I will say Iniesta. He had something different. Playing with him, wow! It was something else,” Toure said (h/t Goal).

This comes despite the fact that Iniesta was a direct competitor for Toure when both players used to play for Barcelona between 2007 to 2010.

In fact, Iniesta’s presence played a key role in stifling Toure’s game-time at Barça, as he eventually settled for a move to Manchester City in 2010.

The move paid off immensely for Toure, who went on to win three Premier League titles at Man City while establishing himself as one of the club’s all-time greats.

Toure is currently in the nascent stages of his managerial career, as he is serving as the assistant to Roberto Mancini for the Saudi Arabian national team.