Arda Turan on Leo Messi: “He is the best player I have ever seen. I also really admire Andrés Iniesta, for how skillful he was on the pitch.”
Leo Messi is the best player
Former Barca player Arda Turan believes that Leo Messi is the best player he has ever played with, but the former Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta is something else entirely. Turan moved to Barcelona in 2015 after winning four trophies, including La Liga and the Europa League, as a player in Atletico de Madrid. Once at Camp Nou, former rivals Messi and Iniesta became teammates, while Arda said the duet was the most talented of all that he had ever had around. “You don’t need to talk about Messi. He is the best player I played with,” he told reporters. “But Iniesta was something else. His attitude, his commandment about the ball, makes him admire.” The time of Turan at Barcelona, however, did not quite reach the heights of its time at Atletico.
Arda wants to play for Barca again
After spending 55 matches and winning four trophies in the first two seasons, Turan spent the last three campaigns on loan with Istanbul’s Basaksehir. This loan cancelled in January when the midfielder got into a series of disputes during his stay in his native Turkey. Arda was suspended for 16 matches, later reduced to 10, for pushing the assistant referee in 2018, while the midfielder also made headlines after a brawl with pop star Berkay Sahin that same year. However, he hopes for another chance at Barcelona, as he believes that he still has something to offer. – Of course, I made mistakes. But it’s not that I finished,” he admitted.
A special moment in his career: beat Messi’s Barca and Ronaldo’s Real Madrid
“When I start playing football in three months, I can be better than everyone else after three or four games. I can still be like old Arda Turan.” I want to play football for a club where I can feel happy. Turan can still play football at a high level for four to five years. – He have a contract with Barcelona. I wanted it to be so until the end of the season. It is what I wanted. “Even though he is still a member of Barca, Turan admitted that he still happily looks back at Atletico, which, in his opinion, was his golden period as a football player. “With Atletico, we beat Messi’s Barcelona and Ronaldo’s Real Madrid to the title. It was the most special moment of my career,” he said.
“The victory in La Liga was amazing. The victory at the Copa del Rey in Santiago Bernabéu also has a special place in my heart. The final of the Copa del Rey is always special.” Diego Simeone and Fatih Terim are exceptional managers. Terim never gives up; he is very motivated and has leadership skills. Simeone is tactically outstanding, and he’s energetic, he continually keeps you awake. I have worked with many talented trainers, but Terim and Simeone are one step ahead of the rest.”