“I tried to kick him but I couldn’t” – Juliano Belletti opens up on marking Lionel Messi for the first time at Barcelona
Former Barcelona defender Juliano Belletti recently recounted the first time he went up against Lionel Messi in training. The Brazilian joined the Catalans in 2004 following a successful two-year spell at rival club Villarreal.
Messi, at that point, was still only 17 and just starting to receive invites to train with the senior team. However, he was so good that Belletti, who was in his prime at the time, was left dumbfounded by his skills.
Speaking to GOAL in an exclusive interview, the 45-year-old now said:
"When I first trained against Messi, I had never heard of him. [Andres] Iniesta came and asked me if I knew who Messi was and Iniesta warned me to be careful because he is good. He said, 'Be careful,' to me during the best time of my career. I was in my prime! But when he received the ball in training, he didn't care who he was playing against."
"The one-v-one, when I was even thinking about trying to tackle him, I found he had already beaten me. It was simply like that... I tried to kick him but I couldn't. I couldn't get him. It was definitely not a normal situation to see a player that good come from the academy and go straight into our team."
Belletti's only goal for the club was the winner in the 2006 Champions League finals as Barcelona beat Arsenal 1-0. Messi didn't play in the game due to injury, but his stock was on the rise.
: "When I first trained against Messi 
🎙Juliano Belletti 🇧🇷: "When I first trained against Messi 🇦🇷, I had never heard of him, Iniesta came and he warned me to be careful because he is good. He told me 'be careful' during the best moment of my career." [Goal] #FCBlive https://t.co/Xx4FlNBFQY
Barcelona must count on Xavi in the post-Messi era
With the Argentine joining PSG on a shock transfer last summer, the club has visibly struggled to cope without him.
Belletti feels it's a huge loss considering the impact Messi had on the side for several years. However, he has faith in his former teammate Xavi, now the Barcelona coach, to guide them in this new era.
Carles Puyol, Xavi, Belletti s’expriment et rendent hommage à Leo... https://t.co/Uvj12MZIml
Belletti explained:
"We know how important Messi was for that club. He is a player who raised the level and improved things for 14 years. It feels almost impossible to achieve this in football. But the club must look ahead with Xavi, president Joan Laporta and their young guys."
"Xavi, as a player, showed the world that he was different, and I think it will be the same for him as a manager. He is the man who the club needs at this very moment. I think Xavi and Laporta are the two right people for the moment."
Barcelona are in action on Sunday against Catalan derby rivals Espanyol in La Liga while Messi and PSG prepare to face Rennes in Ligue 1 on Friday.