Riyad Mahrez is good enough to play for Barcelona, believes Catalan legend Xavi

Xavi, who now plays in Qater, believes Mahrez has enough talent to play for any club in the world

Riyad Mahrez is good enough to play for Barcelona, say Xavi Hernandez (Getty Images)

Barcelona legend Xavi believes that in-form Leicester midfielder Riyad Mahrez is good enough to play for the Catalans after his rise to prominence in the Premier League this season sees the Foxes on the cusp of an incredible title triumph.

Both Mahrez and striker Jamie Vardy have proven instrumental in Leicester rise from the bottom to the top of the Premier League table, with the latter taking the plaudits for his run of goals earlier in the season.

However, it’s Mahrez who has provided the spark after netting 16 goals himself as well as laying on 11 assists this season in the top flight, and Xavi – who now plies his trade with Al-Sadd in Qatar – believes he has seen enough from the Algeria international to believe he could cut it at the Champions League winners.

“He is a very good player,” Xavi told The New Arab. “He suddenly came to my attention this season, I didn't know about him before, but this season he has blown up. He has made a name for himself among the top names in the English league and played exceptionally well. Thanks to what he has done for his club, he can now play for any big club in Europe.”

Asked if “any big club” meant even Barcelona, Xavi responded: Yeah, why not? He could play for Barcelona in the future. He is talented, but that is not in my hands these days.”

Xavi was also asked for his opinion on the differences between his former Barcelona team-mate, Lionel Messi, and Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo. The two have battled it out for the Fifa Ballon d’Or award – given to the world’s best player each calendar year – for the past eight years, with Messi leading the head-to-head 5-3.

Xavi currently plays for Al-Sadd in Qatar (Getty Images)

36-year-old Xavi said that while both of them base their game on scoring goals, it’s Messi’s ability to blend into a team that puts him ahead of Ronaldo.

“Ronaldo is a goalscorer, and Messi is also a goalscorer; however, Messi is a much better team player than Ronaldo,” Xavi added. “I think Messi is the best footballer in the world. In football, there are two important elements: fitness and intelligence. Ronaldo is very fit but Messi has both the fitness as well as the intelligence, so simply put he is better.”