Zabaleta: Messi and I talk about Manchester City

The full-back remains close friends with the four-time Ballon d'Or winner from their time in Barcelona and says that he still tells him about life at the Etihad Stadium

Pablo Zabaleta has revealed that he regularly talks about Manchester City with close friend and Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi.

Zabaleta joined City in 2008 for €7.8 million from Espanyol and has gone on to make 175 appearances for the club in five years.

He has remained close friends with Messi throughout and says that the four-time Ballon d'Or winner still talks to him about life at the Etihad Stadium.
"I remember when we were in Barcelona, we were very close friends," Zabaleta told reporters. "We had known each other for a number of years - I was just starting out at Espanyol and Lionel was at Barca.

"When I signed for City, I think two days later the news broke that Sheikh Mansour had bought the club and Lionel always recalls that I joined at such a fantastic time.

"He asked me a lot about City but I couldn't tell him much because I didn't know much myself. It's something we often talk about, plus the fact that I'm still here."

Meanwhile, team-mate Jesus Navas paid tribute to City's devastating strike partnership of Sergio Aguero and Alvaro Negredo after all three shone in Sunday's 6-0 demolition of Tottenham.

The winger enthused: "Sergio is among the best and right now he's in really good shape. We all know about his capabilities.

"[He and Negredo are] scoring very easily at the moment. The Premier League suits their style and that's fantastic for us.

"I'm not surprised by Negredo because I already knew how good he was. He has always loved contact with defenders so this is the perfect league for him, in my opinion."