Former Barcelona manager Luis Enrique has named Lionel Messi as the best player he has coached, but suggested that Andres Iniesta was "very close" to the six-time Ballon d'Or winner.
Enrique enjoyed a trophy-laden three-year spell in charge at Camp Nou, leading Barcelona to a treble in his first year at the helm before adding another La Liga title and two more Copas del Rey.
The 49-year-old is now in charge of the Spanish national side, but he still regards two of his former Barca players as the best he has seen.
"I cannot tell [Messi] how to dribble or how to pass or shoot because he is an artist at those things and it's clear that we don't have to advise him on these topics," Enrique said during an online Q&A.
"But things relating to the systems we use, situations or things as a more general level that benefit us, of course we tell him. How to create pressure in a certain way, where do we want the ball, what spaces on the pitch should he be taking up to try to receive the ball... we tried to influence him with regard to all those things.
"The player who has impressed me the most in my career is Leo Messi. After that, Andres Iniesta is very close to something similar, although Leo is ahead of the rest by a big difference."
Enrique, who spent eight years as a player at Barcelona too, also refused to rule out the possibility of returning to Camp Nou at some stage in the future.
Barney Corkhill
