Ibrahimovic: Messi is the best in the world

The Paris Saint-Germain star thinks the Argentine is the best player in the world at present, but says the South Americans' match against Sweden is more important for the visitors

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has admitted that Lionel Messi is the best player in world football as he prepares to face his former Barcelona team-mate when Sweden take on Argentina on Wednesday.

The Paris Saint-Germain forward spent two seasons at Camp Nou playing alongside the Argentina captain, and he pointed out that the playmaker wins so many award because he is the finest player currently on show.

"Leo is a fantastic player. At an individual level he is probably the best player in the world, so he wins all the awards," he told reporters at a press conference.

And the 31-year-old, who will only play 45 minutes in the match in Solna, believes the friendly international is more important for the visitors as they look to find their best 11 ahead of the remainder of their World Cup qualifiers.

"Clearly it is more important for them than for us," he said.

"They have so many quality players fighting for a spot on the team."