Madrid: FC Barcelona's Spain international defender Gerard Pique stressed the importance of the injured Leo Messi to the side when he addressed the press Monday.
Messi is putting the finishing touches to his recovery from a hamstring injury at the moment, but after being out of action for a month, he is expected to be back in action early in the New Year, reported Xinhua.
The fact is that Barca have performed well without their star player with new signing Neymar and Pedro Rodriguez taking on the mantel of goal scorers in recent matches, but for Pique, there is no doubt who is still top dog at the Camp Nou Stadium.
"Messi is the best player in the world and from that standpoint, it is obvious that he is important for us and I am certain that presence or not in the side is an influence," said Pique.
