"I'm happy because I watched him more than I played against him" - Real Madrid legend on Lionel Messi
Real Madrid legend Roberto Carlos has waxed lyrical about Barcelona legend and former opponent Lionel Messi. The 51-year-old claimed to be happier to have watched the Argentine in action more times than actually facing off against him.
The incident recently recalled by the Brazilian in an interview with 90Min Espanol was from the first time he faced Messi on the pitch - an El Clasico fixture in the 2006-07 LaLiga season. Barcelona travelled to the Santiago Bernabeu, with the 19-year-old prodigious talent in their ranks.
He terrorized the Real Madrid defenders, which included Carlos and 2006 Ballon d'Or winner Fabio Cannavaro. Although Barca lost the game 2-0, the footballing world sat up and took notice of the spectacular performance from the La Masia graduate.
Carlos remembered that there was a particular moment when Messi dribbled past Cannavaro and Carlos in a single move. Reflecting on the moment and the game, Carlos told 90Min Espanol (via All About Argentina's X):
"When Messi dribbled past Cannavaro and me, and ran over us, and the match ended, I turned to Cannavaro and said 'My God, who is this player? He's the new Maradona.'"
"I'm lucky. I don't have much time left before I retire. How will the next generation of defenders cope? They'll really struggle with him. I knew he'd be the best player in the world. In the future, he would win everything. I'm happy because I watched him more than I played against him," Carlos concluded.
Messi lived up to the incredible hype, racking up a whopping 672 goals and 303 assists in 778 games for Barcelona across all competitions. He won a club-record 34 trophies with the Catalan giants, and became the top-scorer in El Clasico history with 26 goals against Real Madrid.
Besides Roberto Carlos, many other Real Madrid legends have been outspoken in their praise for ex-Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi
Despite being on the opposite side of the heated El Clasico rivalry, many Real Madrid legends have sung the praises of former Barcelona icon Lionel Messi.
When asked to pick his side in the eternal GOAT debate between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in a May 2024 interview, ex-Real attacking midfielder Julio Baptista said (via Oddspedia):
"Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are incredible players, but I would rate Messi slightly higher... There was so much expectation on them and they both have delivered, Ronaldo is unbelievable but Messi is a genius, winning the Ballon d’Or eight times says it all."
In an interview with GOAL in May 2023, former Los Blancos left-back Marcelo called the Argentine the toughest opponent of his career, claiming:
"Lionel 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.''
After Argentina's FIFA World Cup victory in 2022, German midfielder Toni Kroos, who got the better of La Albiceleste in the 2014 final, said (via EssentiallySports h/t Magenta TV):
"Leo Messi deserves it. In terms of individual performances at a tournament, I've never seen a footballer play as consistently as this guy. You have to bear in mind that he's never played for clubs that I like, which proves that I'm serious."