Freixa: "If it were not for Messi, Iniesta would be the best in the world"

Posted Wednesday, September 18, 2013 by Marca.com

The secretary and spokesman for the Barcelona Board of Directors, Toni Freixa, has announced that "there is no problem" with Iniesta's contract renewal. He also stressed, "If it were not for Messi, Iniesta would be the best in the world. We really value him and he is essential to our project. We want to put him in the position he deserves, behind Messi."

Freixa does not want to hurry the renewal of the Spaniard's contract: "We don't make decisions based on others. We are happy with our players and understand that they are happy with their contracts. They get improved gradually." Freixa:

As for Messi playing for Argentina despite his fitness problems, the secretary of the 'Azulgrana' outfit said that "above all, Barcelona has the utmost respect for others. The players and the national teams have the final word." Although he said that the club would not interfere in the matter, he admitted that "the best thing for us would be for him not to play".

With the controversial refereeing against Sevilla in the spotlight, Freixa explained, "The club does get involved in idle chat. That's in the streets, otherwise football would be dead. The competition has just started and we don't have anything to worry about."