Dani Alves has had nothing but great things to say about Lionel Messi since leaving Barcelona.

In 2017, for example, he was asked on FIFA TV to name his toughest opponent - to which he said Cristiano Ronaldo - but changed the conversation to the greatest player in history.

"I say Messi [is the best of all time] because I've seen him play," he said. "Of the other greats, I have heard what people say about them, but I can't corroborate it because I haven't seen them."

Alves firmly believes Messi is the GOAT and it's hard to argue with him considering how much time he spent playing with and watching the Argentine at Barcelona.

He's told many stories about Messi down the years, but his best came in an interview with The Players' Tribune in 2017.

In one extract, Alves recalled a particular training session where Messi destroyed Barcelona's defenders with the laces on both of his boots untied. No, really.

"I remember during one training session, Messi was doing things with the ball at his feet that defied logic," Alves wrote. "Of course, that is what he did every day.

"Only this time, something was different. Now, I need to remind you, this was an extremely intense training session. We were not messing around.

"Messi was dribbling through the defence and finishing like a killer. And then as he's running past me, I look down at his boots, and I'm thinking to myself, 'Is this a joke?'

"He comes running past again, and I think, 'No, it's impossible.' He comes running past again, and now I'm sure what I'm seeing.

His damn boots are untied. Both of them. I mean completely untied.

"This guy is playing against the best defenders in the world, just floating around the pitch, and he's acting like it's a Sunday in the park.

"That was the moment when I knew that I was never going to play with someone like him ever again in my life."

Classic Lionel Messi.

Whereas most people end up on their backsides if their shoelaces are untied, Messi continues to humiliate professional footballers like it's nothing.