Djibril Cisse has sensationally claimed that former Newcastle United midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa was as good as Lionel Messi in his prime.
Magpies supporters know just how good the tricky French winger could be on his day but would be hard pushed to agree with such a statement.
Across four years on Tyneside, Ben Arfa played 86 times in all competitions, scoring 14 goals and registering 15 assists.
From a supporter’s perspective, he was as brilliant to watch as he was frustrating with inconsistency largely painting the picture of his time in the North East.
The goal he scored against Bolton, which is probably his most iconic moment in a Newcastle shirt, was one of the best at St James’ Park in recent memory but comparisons to Messi still seem extremely farfetched.
Speaking on Booska-P Soyons Foot’s YouTube face-to-face show, Cisse made the outlandish claim about the two players.
“Technically, Hatem, I might seem crazy but I think that Ben Arfa at a good level is as good as Messi.
“I’ve seen him do things… I’ll say it again, Hatem at his best, is Messi.”
