Xavi Hernandez on Lionel Messi: 'I think he'd be even better in the Premier League'

The 2013-14 La Liga campaign saw Lionel Messi register 28 goals and 11 assists, numbers that are unbelievably impressive by any standard.

However, Xavi Hernandez believes that those statistics could be bettered if the Argentine phenom were playing in the Premier League.

In an exclusive with the BBC, Xavi addressed a number of topics from the type of player he was as an 11-year-old to who he sees as Barcelona's future manager. However, it was his comments on Messi playing in England that were arguably the most interesting.

"I think he'd be even better in the Premier League because it is not so defensive," Xavi said. "When defending against Barcelona, they (English clubs) play on a 1 v 1 basis, defending with passion, a lot of energy. But Leo would find more space than in La Liga."

Although Xavi's comments certainly have some credibility as La Liga clubs - outside of Barcelona and Real Madrid - are less hesitant to take a defensive approach to matches, Messi's stats on English soil are far from glamorous.