Lionel Messi has picked Barca's two main rivals to win the Champions League

Lionel Messi.

Lionel Messi is the very definition of a player that has done it all.

The Argentine wizard is an eight-time La Liga champion, five-time Ballon d'Or winner, five-time Copa del Rey winner, four-time European Golden Shoe winner and, of course, a four-time Champions League winner.

The list goes on and on and the thing is, Messi is still only 30-years-old.

The Barcelona talisman is having another phenomenal season with 27 goals in 35 games and he has helped the Blaugrana open up a six-point lead at the top of La Liga ahead of playing their game in hand on Sunday.

But can Barca find European glory again this season after the disappointment of last season's Champions League campaign?

The Catalan giants made one of the most memorable comebacks in football history when they overturned a 4-0 first-leg defeat to Paris-Saint Germain last term, but they would exit the competition the very next round after to failing to score against Juventus in two games.

So who does Messi believe are the top two contenders this season? Real Madrid don't quite make the cut.

Messi told The Mirror: “Manchester City are one of the strongest teams around, as well as Paris Saint-Germain.

“I also do not exclude Real Madrid in terms of quality and experience, even though they have not yet achieved the expected results.

“Then there’s Bayern Munich, another great team who will play until the end. Today, however, the best are City and PSG.”

That's a fair analysis from one of the greatest players ever. Both PSG and City are running away with their domestic leagues and with former manager Pep Guardiola guiding City, they are a dangerous prospect.

Of course, PSG splashed a world-record €222 million to prize Neymar away from Barca last summer, but Messi thinks that has helped Barca overall.

He said: “Without Neymar we are more balanced.

“His departure led to a change in the way we play.

“We have lost a lot of our offensive potential but we have improved in defence. We have more balance and this allows us to be more solid.”

Who do you think will win the Champions League? Let us know in the comments section below.