Barcelona president Joan Laporta is adamant Lionel Messi is the best player in the world.

"He is capable of winning the Ballon d'Or," said Laporta, "but that will depend on how the team plays and their results.

"But surely Messi is the best in the world, because he is great. Players like him are born every 30 years."

Asked about Ronaldinho, Laporta added: "He's a great player and I saw that last Sunday he scored from a move of his own. He needs time to integrate into a new team. In Thierry Henry, the same happened with us, he had difficulties at first but this year has returned to the top."