Gerard Pique admits he hasn't congratulated former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi on winning the World Cup as Argentina captain.

However, Pique has declared the PSG star the greatest player the game has seen.

He told TickTocker John Nellis: 'As a striker and for some reasons I would say Messi. He is the best in the world right now and I think he is the best ever in this game among those who won the World Cup. It was his dream."

Asked if he had congratulated Messi on Qatar 2022, Pique stated: "Not really. My last months were hard and I needed to disconnect. I didn't watch any World Cup game, just the final and not the whole game."

Pique announced his retirement just before the World Cup.