Lionel Messi is a player who will never be repeated, says Real Zaragoza's Ander Herrera, who insists he saw nothing like the Argentine across his entire career. Neymar, in his eyes, represents footballing magic. Kylian Mbappe is a "superhero".
The 37-year-old Spaniard made the comments during a lengthy interview with former England defender Rio Ferdinand, running through his current spell at Zaragoza and a career that took in Athletic Bilbao, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and Boca Juniors.
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Speaking to Spanish newspaper "Marca", Herrera said of Messi: "It is something we will not see again."
Herrera shared a dressing room with Messi in Paris. When Ferdinand named three of those PSG stars, Messi, Neymar and Mbappe, the Basque midfielder threw in a fourth: "Angel Di Maria". Even so, he kept coming back to Messi as the one he had never seen matched.
"Madness"
Greatness, Herrera explained, was not confined to matchdays. It was the Argentine's ability to hit his peak every single day of the week. "How many times did he lose the ball in training? Zero. It was madness. Leo, every day!"
Knowing your role matters just as much, according to Herrera. Work out who the star is, then work out how to help him.
He said: "Stars are stars. I think I had the empathy needed to play with them. You have to know how to give them space, because if I do my job, they will make me better. Messi and Neymar want you to give them the ball, and to be there in case they need to give it back to you."
Managing a dressing room stacked with that calibre of player? "It is difficult, but it is not impossible. Ancelotti did it at Real Madrid with Cristiano, with Bale, with Benzema, with Sergio Ramos..."
Luis Enrique took the opposite route, Herrera pointed out, cutting the stars loose because they could cause him problems. "And look at what he achieved with Paris Saint-Germain."