--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Messi doesn't have to do it in the…" description: "\"Messi doesn't have to do it in the Premier League to prove himself. The Champions League is the ultimate club competition. If he was in the Premier Lea..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/586/gary-lineker-2899_being-the-best_messi-doesn-t-have-to-do-it-in-the-premi_105736.png" --- # Messi doesn't have to do it in the Premier League to prove… ![“Messi doesn't have to do it in the Premier League to prove himself. The Champions League is the ultimate club competition. If he was in the Premier League, he'd be the best player by some distance.” quote by Gary Lineker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/586/gary-lineker-2899_being-the-best_messi-doesn-t-have-to-do-it-in-the-premi_105736.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/586/gary-lineker-2899_being-the-best_messi-doesn-t-have-to-do-it-in-the-premi_105736.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/586/gary-lineker-2899_being-the-best_messi-doesn-t-have-to-do-it-in-the-premi_105736.png) > “Messi doesn't have to do it in the Premier League to prove himself. The Champions League is the ultimate club competition. If he was in the Premier League, he'd be the best player by some distance.” [Gary Lineker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-lineker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Lineker argues that Messi's greatness transcends league context; success in the Champions League already validates his elite status, independent of Premier League performance. **In simple terms:** Messi's talent shines regardless of league. Key Takeaway Excellence is league‑agnostic. Themes sports talent competition legacy Mood confident analytical Type sports commentary opinion When to use this quote - player scouting - fan debates - sports journalism Key Concepts performance evaluation Practical Applications - compare player impact across competitions - use statistical benchmarks beyond league stats Questions to Reflect On - What metrics best capture a player's universal impact? - How do league characteristics shape perception of talent? A Different Perspective Different leagues have varying styles; direct comparison can be misleading. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Being the best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-the-best/) [Best players](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-players/) [Champion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/champion/) [Clubs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clubs/) [Competition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competition/) [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [Premier league](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/premier-league/) ## Related quotes > [Lionel Messi is the best player ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graeme-souness/lionel-messi-is-the-best-player-ever/) [Graeme Souness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graeme-souness/) > [Messi the best player in the world by far. I don't think we'll ever see a player like him again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tito-vilanova/messi-the-best-player-in-the-world-by-far-i-don-t-think-we-ll-ever/) Tito Vilanova > [I have the possibility to watch Messi in training each morning, and because of what he demonstrates he is the best player in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thierry-henry/i-have-the-possibility-to-watch-messi-in-training-each-morning-and-2/) [Thierry Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thierry-henry/) > [Messi or Ronaldo best player in the world? In the world, I would say Ronaldo. Messi is from another planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arda-turan/messi-or-ronaldo-best-player-in-the-world-in-the-world-i-would-say/) Arda Turan > [Messi is the best player on the planet and he keeps on improving at Barça, now the best team in the world. What Messi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novak-djokovic/messi-is-the-best-player-on-the-planet-and-he-keeps-on-improving-at/) [Novak Djokovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novak-djokovic/) > [I have never been concerned about winning the Ballon d'Or or being the best player in the world. The best player is already here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neymar/i-have-never-been-concerned-about-winning-the-ballon-d-or-or-being/) [Neymar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neymar/) > [Messi won 3 Ballons d'Or and is competing for another one. He will be the best player in the world until he retires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-aguero/messi-won-3-ballons-d-or-and-is-competing-for-another-one-he-will-be/) [Sergio Aguero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-aguero/) > [ Leo \[Messi\] is the best player of all time - better than Pele, Maradona or Cruyff. There have been some great teams in history… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xavi/leo-messi-is-the-best-player-of-all-time-better-than-pele-maradona-or/) [Xavi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xavi/) > [Messi is the best player ever. And this is said by someone who has seen Maradona and Pele play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adriano-galliani/messi-is-the-best-player-ever-and-this-is-said-by-someone-who-has/) Adriano Galliani > [There is no doubt about it, Messi's clearly the best player in the world. He's a phenomenon who has already won everything, but is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-van-basten/there-is-no-doubt-about-it-messi-s-clearly-the-best-player-in-the/) [Marco van Basten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-van-basten/) > [Every time he plays, Leo Messi reminds me more of Maradona, both left-footed and short, Messi is the best player in the world, along…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luiz-inacio-lula-da-silva/every-time-he-plays-leo-messi-reminds-me-more-of-maradona-both-left/) [Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luiz-inacio-lula-da-silva/) > [I have the possibility to watch Messi in training each morning, and because of what he demonstrates he is the best player in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thierry-henry/i-have-the-possibility-to-watch-messi-in-training-each-morning-and/) [Thierry Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thierry-henry/) > [Messi on the World Cup 2014? He showed why he is the best player in the world. It was a pleasure to see him play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alessandro-del-piero/messi-on-the-world-cup-2014-he-showed-why-he-is-the-best-player-in/) [Alessandro Del Piero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alessandro-del-piero/) > [Messi is the best player in the world. If he's not already, he'll be the best footballer of all time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lebron-james/messi-is-the-best-player-in-the-world-if-he-s-not-already-he-ll-be/) [LeBron James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lebron-james/) > [This Guy (Messi) is the Best Player in the World, no doubt about that. I think we're always nervous about calling people who are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-neville/this-guy-messi-is-the-best-player-in-the-world-no-doubt-about-that-i/) [Gary Neville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-neville/) ## More by Gary Lineker > [Fella’s a genius. Best ever by a distance in my life time. Never really saw Pele… Souness, Gullit, Venables and now Rooney agree Messi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-lineker/fella-s-a-genius-best-ever-by-a-distance-in-my-life-time-never-really/) [Gary Lineker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-lineker/) > [People have no idea how hard football is, absolutely no idea. It's all about pace. You can say, 'Yeah, you've got speed of thought'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-lineker/people-have-no-idea-how-hard-football-is-absolutely-no-idea-it-s-all/) [Gary Lineker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-lineker/) > [Congratulations to Thierry Henry on a truly wonderful career. One of the great footballers of our time and a top bloke. Bonne chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-lineker/congratulations-to-thierry-henry-on-a-truly-wonderful-career-one-of/) [Gary Lineker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-lineker/) > [People are possibly not spelling 'Leicester' correctly everywhere round the globe, but they are at least saying it correctly now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-lineker/people-are-possibly-not-spelling-leicester-correctly-everywhere-round/) [Gary Lineker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-lineker/) > [What you learn is that you can't please everyone all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-lineker/what-you-learn-is-that-you-can-t-please-everyone-all-the-time/) [Gary Lineker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-lineker/) > [People make mistakes. 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It's great for the appreciation of the Premier League.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-lineker/the-leicester-story-is-great-for-the-game-in-england-it-s-great-for/) [Gary Lineker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-lineker/) > [The whole kiss-and-tell thing is a negative approach that often happens in a World Cup. 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