“He is very evil. I tried to hit him a lot” - Cristiano Ronaldo’s ex-teammate Marcelo makes honest admission about Lionel Messi

Real Madrid legend Marcelo has claimed that Lionel Messi was 'evil' on the pitch. He said that the Barcelona legend got even tougher to manage if he got angry during the match.

Speaking to Cortes Podpah, Marcelo stated that Messi never spoke during a game. The Brazilian added that he tried to communicate with the Argentine but never got a reply. He said:

"Messi didn't talk during the games and I tried not to talk to him because he was quiet. We always said that we should leave it like that, because if you decided to obstruct him, you would provoke him and then he would get angry, and if he was angry, he became more and more difficult to handle. He [Messi] is very evil. I tried to hit him a lot. I think he thinks before everyone else."

Marcelo faced Lionel Messi 33 times in all competitions for club and country. He ended up losing 16 times to the Argentine while winning 10 games.

Marcelo names Lionel Messi as his toughest opponent

Marcelo was talking to The Athletic earlier this year about Lionel Messi. He heaped praise on the Barcelona legend and stated that he was his toughest opponent.

He believes that the Inter Miami star still has the same hunger and is showing his quality on the pitch.

He said:

"Messi is incredible, the toughest opponent I've ever faced. We all know the quality he has even now, aged 35, and before it was the same. El Clasico has always been one of the best games to watch and play. I was lucky enough to have featured in one of the best eras of Clasicos. But it wasn't just Messi, there were other players who were also incredible."

Marcelo has faced Lionel Messi thrice while representing Brazil and ended up on the losing side twice. He helped Brazil win a World Cup qualifier match against Argentina in 2016, but lost the semifinal in 2008 Olympics and also an international friendly played in 2012.

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