Lionel Messi had zero doubts naming the 'exceptional' England player who could've played with him at Barcelona

Lionel Messi had zero doubts when naming the 'exceptional' England player who could have played with him at Barcelona.

Messi enjoyed a legendary spell at Barca, winning an impressive four Champions League titles.

He was blessed with some elite teammates, including Andres Iniesta, Xavi, Neymar and Luis Suarez during his time at the Camp Nou.

Two of his Champions League triumphs were against Manchester United, who were undone by Messi and Pep Guardiola.

Barca beat Man United 2-0 in Rome, Italy, in the 2008/09 season and secured a 3-1 victory in London, England, in the 2010/11 campaign.

At their Wembley Stadium showdown, Pedro opened the scoring before Wayne Rooney equalised, with Messi putting his side back in front, with David Villa wrapping things up.

Wayne Rooney and Lionel Messi during the 2008/09 Champions League final. Image: Getty

Rooney's performance against Barca clearly left an impression on Messi, who name dropped him as an 'exceptional' player who could have thrived in La Liga.

He defended English players when quizzed on why the nation can't produce world-class footballers.

"I am not sure that it is true," he said, back in 2015. "If you look at the technical ability of a player like Wayne Rooney, he is as good as any player in Europe."

At the time, asked which English players would thrive in Spain's top flight, the Argentine replied: "As I mentioned, Rooney has exceptional quality. Not just great technical ability, but also works very hard for his team. I’m sure Manchester United will never want to let him leave, though."

The feeling is mutual as Rooney returned the compliment as he called Messi the GOAT ahead of his ex-Man United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo.

"I think Messi, he’s the best ever. I get a lot of stick for saying Messi where it’s as if, 'How can you say Messi, it’s Ronaldo'," he said on The Overlap - brought to you by Sky Bet.

"I understand that people can say Messi, people can say Ronaldo - they are both incredible, probably the best two players to ever play the game.

"For me, Messi has just got that little bit more flair, which I like in a player, so that’s the reason."