brahimovic: They should rename the Ballon d'Or after Messi

The Sweden star cracked a joke regarding the Argentine maestro, who has won the prestigious prize for four consecutive years, ahead of their Champions League matchup.

Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has hailed Barcelona star Lionel Messi for winning the FIFA Ballon d'Or four years in a row ahead of the teams' UEFA Champions League quarterfinal clash this week.

The Argentina star is in the form of his life, as he has scored in 19 straight league games against each of the other teams in La Liga, and he earned his fourth straight Ballon d'Or in January, which has left an impression on Ibrahimovic.

"He is the best player in the world right now," Ibrahimovic told reporters at a press conference. "He has won four Ballon d'Ors. They should rename this award and call it Messi.

"But I do not know if he is the best player of all time. It is difficult to say. We'll see when he has finished his career."

Considering his outstanding recent performances, Ibra was quick to remark that he does not care about which individual player is the best in the world.

"It is thanks to my teammates that I was able to play that well. We are a team. Being No. 1, this is not important," Ibrahimovic said.

The forward also said that he thinks the Blaugrana are currently the best football has to offer and that PSG has its work cut out starting in Tuesday's quarterfinal first leg at Parc de Princes.

"They're best team of all time," Ibrahimovic said. "We will try to find solutions. I'll try to do my best, then we'll see what happens."