Sterling has emerged as one of the finest forwards in football, scoring 25 goals last season and six already this campaign, as well as two for England.
Xavi, who played alongside Messi at Barca under Pep Guardiola, reckons the 24-year-old is well on his way to becoming the best player on the planet.
“Messi and Ronaldo have dominated the best player in the world awards for so many years now, it’s hard to remember a time before them.
“Messi is the best ever for me – and even though they’re both still playing at a very high level – there will come the day not so long away when somebody else must step into those shoes.
“You look at young players who can be crowned the future best in the world and you still think of Neymar, Mbappe, Salah, and of course Sterling. I look at the moment – and Sterling is winning that race.
“He’s always been a good player, a dangerous player, but under Pep he become one of the best in the world.
“I know how Pep works – he would have worked closely with him since his arrival – where he needs to improve and what he needed to work on.
“We’re now seeing the results of that – he’s still young and can be the world’s best,” Xavi said according to the UK Mirror.
