“He can almost do what he wants on the football pitch” - Liverpool superstar hails Lionel Messi as GOAT
Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold has hailed Lionel Messi as the greatest player of all time. He hailed the Argentine's abilities and said that he strikes fear into the opponents whenever he's on the ball.
Many regard Messi as the greatest player of all time. Aside from his incredible abilities with the ball, he's also the most decorated player of all time with 45 trophies for club and country. He recently won the Copa America 2024 with Argentina.
In a recent interview, Alexander-Arnold hailed Lionel Messi as the GOAT, saying (via All About Argentina):
"Lionel Messi is the greatest to ever play this game. There's just a different feeling playing against him that I've ever felt with anyone else. You're always on red alert when the ball is near him, I think it's very rare for a player to king of put that feeling into other players so, for that reason I have to say it's him.
"For me, I think in many, many aspects of the game, he's probably the best at any given moment, he can almost do what he wants on a football pitch so for that reason he's the best."
Trent Alexander-Arnold has faced Lionel Messi just once, in the second leg of the iconic 2018-19 UEFA Champions League semi-finals. Liverpool were trailing 3-0 from the first leg in Camp Nou but won the second leg 4-0, with Alexander-Arnold providing a clever assist from a corner.
Lionel Messi set to miss MLS All-Star game and could also miss further Inter Miami matches
Lionel Messi suffered an ankle injury in Argentina's Copa America 2024 final win against Colombia on July 14. He had to be subbed off in the second half before Lautaro Martinez's goal in extra time helped them win the trophy.
Messi was earlier scheduled to return to the MLS after Copa America and feature for the MLS All-Star game on Wednesday, July 24. However, Inter Miami have confirmed that the 37-year-old will miss the game, writing (via Bleacher Report):
"Leo Messi will miss the All-Star Game due to an ankle injury, while Luis Suárez, who recently returned from international duty after over 40 days away from the club, will miss the All-Star Game due to knee discomfort. Their availability for Saturday's Leagues Cup match will be assessed based on their daily recovery process."
Inter Miami will take on Puebla in their first group-stage match in the Leagues Cup on Saturday, July 27. Notably, Messi helped them win the competition in his debut season (2023-24), registering 10 goals and one assist in seven games.