Beckham: Messi one of the best

England international David Beckham thinks Lionel Messi is "one of the best I've ever seen".

The AC Milan midfielder was asked by uefa.com to give his thoughts on Messi ahead of the upcoming 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

The Barcelona striker was recently crowned the FIFA Player of the Year.

"Without doubt, he's one of the best players I've played against and also one of the finest players I've ever seen," Beckham said of Messi.

The former Manchester United favourite went on to say the Argentine reminds him of Diego Maradona.

"For a little player, he's so talented. He's the closest player to Maradona that you can get, and he even plays in a similar passionate way too."

Beckham also expressed his respect for Messi as a person, revealing that he expects the Barca man's excellent attitude will lead him to even more success in the years to come.

"He's successful and a really good person as well. I'm sure he'll go on to be even more successful in the future."