“For me, it was the biggest challenge as a player” – Ex-Spain international on facing ‘revolution of the century’ Lionel Messi
Former Spain international Marcos Senna reckons Inter Miami attacker Lionel Messi is a once-in-a-century player.
Messi, 36, spent the first 17 seasons of his senior club career at Barcelona, where he enjoyed stupendous success.
The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner amassed 672 goals and 303 assists in 778 games across competitions.
Widely regarded as one of the best players in the game's history, Messi won individual and team accolades galore.
He won 10 La Liga, four UEFA Champions League, seven Copa del Rey and three FIFA Club World Cups, among others at Barcelona.
Blessed with a magical left foot, ability to dribble at pace and slice open the meanest of defences, Messi has hurt many teams and given opposition players sleepless nights.
One of them is Senna - a former Villarreal midfielder - who crossed paths with Messi's Barcelona.
He told Stats Perform at the Thinking Football Summit (via SPORTSMAX) about the Argentine:
"A big part of my career was in Spain, at Villarreal. I was there for 11 years. During this period I met Barcelona's Pep Guardiola, and I didn't even have the chance to get a draw against them."
He added:
"It was a very complicated period when Messi came along. And let's say that was the biggest difficulty we had. Messi was a revolution of the century. For me, it was the biggest challenge as a player."
How has Lionel Messi fared in club football this season?
Lionel Messi has hit the ground running at MLS side Inter Miami, whom he has joined as a free agent in the summer after a two-season stint with Paris Saint-Germain.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup winner scored with a stunning 94th-minute free-kick winner on his Miami debut in a Leagues Cup group game against Cruz and hasn't looked back since.
Messi scored in his next six games as the Herons won the inaugural cup competition for their first-ever trophy in their five-year history.
The Argentine provided two assists in his next outing as Miami beat Cincinnati on penalties to advance to the US Open Cup finall.
Messi then made a goalscoring debut in the MLS, scoring in the 2-0 win at New York.
That lifted the Herons off the bottom of the Eastern Conference, snapping an 11-game unbeaten run in the league.
Messi then bagged two assists in his next two games and now has 11 goals and five assists in 11 games across three different competitions.