Blatter hails La Liga as 'best in the world'

(CNN) -- FIFA president Sepp Blatter believes Spain's La Liga is the best football league in the world, and claims that England's top division can learn from it.

In an exclusive interview with CNN's World Sport, Blatter pointed to the eight Spain-based players in the 2010 FIFA World XI and Spain's World Cup success as justification.

"(Looking at the World XI) it must be the strongest league in the world," he said.

"And when you see the starting XI of the Spanish national team (who won the World Cup), all of them play their football in Spain. The Spanish league also has the highest number of local players."

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Blatter told World Sport's Pedro Pinto the lack of England-based players in the FIFA World XI undermined the quality of the country's Premier League.

"The Premier League is the best-marketed league in the world," he said. "It's a good league, with good players, but when you consider not one player made the best XI of the world, maybe they should think about whether something can be adapted."

The FIFA World XI featured six players from Barcelona and two from Real Madrid, with the other three from Italian Serie A champions Inter Milan.

Among their number was the 2010 Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi, the 23-year-old midfielder who beat his Barcelona teammates Xavi and Andres Iniesta to be named the world's best player for the second year in a row.

"Leo Messi is what I identify as a wonderful football player and a good boy. He is really humble. It's not a game he's playing, he's not an actor," Blatter said.

Have your say on Blatter's decisions

Blatter said Messi needed to win a World Cup before he could be compared to fellow Argentine Diego Maradona, captain of the 1986 champion side.

"When I compare Messi to Maradona, both are excellent, talented players. They could not be more talented. But the difference is their personal educational characteristics," Blatter said.

"One is still in football, modest and not trying to get into the extravaganza. The other did it."