The 31-year-old is the surprise choice from the Catalan club to provide some more attacking options to LaLiga Santander's current leaders.

Boateng has spoken highly of Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo before, but he backtracked in his Barcelona unveiling.

After rumours of his move began to circulate, past quotes from Boateng declaring himself a Madrid fan and praising Ronaldo as the world’s best player began to resurface, but he had a concise response on Tuesday.

“I am a Barcelona player and Lionel Messi is the best player in this world and every world,” the Germany-born former Ghana international told reporters.

“Why are you laughing? That’s the truth, he has shown that with all that he has won in the last 10 years.

“It’s a great honour [to be at Barcelona] because Messi is the best player in the world, and Luis Suarez the best striker in the world.

“They play amazingly and being able to play by their side is a great gift.”