David Abraham shared a football pitch with Lionel Messi before the Barcelona star became a household name and has no doubt that his fellow Argentine is the best player on the planet.
The Eintracht Frankfurt captain and Messi played together for Argentina's Under-20 team, with the Rosario native already in the Barca side and Abraham lining out for Independiente in the nation's Primera Division.
That Albiceleste side took the top prize in the 2005 Youth World Cup, a tournament which saw Messi finish as top scorer with six goals alongside future senior squad stars like Pablo Zabaleta, Sergio Aguero and Ezequiel Garay.