“Messi is incredible” - When Cristiano Ronaldo’s former Real Madrid teammate named Lionel Messi as the ‘toughest opponent’ of his career
Back in 2023, Real Madrid legend Marcelo had named Lionel Messi as the toughest opponent he faced in his career. The Brazilian highlighted that Messi was doing well even at 35 years of age.
Speaking to The Athletic, Marcelo admitted that he loved playing against Barcelona while praising Messi. He said (via AllFootball):
"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."
Speaking to the Charla Podcast in 2023, Marcelo talked about Messi was mostly quiet during matches and they tried to not poke him. He said (via GOAL):
"Damn. I was in hell. Messi did not talk during the games and I tried not to talk to him because he was quiet. We always said that we should leave him like that, because if we decided to obstruct him, we would provoke him and then he would get angry, and if he was angry, he became more and more difficult to handle."
Marcelo faced Lionel Messi 33 times in his career and won 10 times. The Real Madrid legend lost 16 times in those meetings, while seven games ended in a draw.
Lionel Messi hails Real Madrid as the best club in the world
Earlier this year in July, Lionel Messi named Real Madrid as the best team in the world. Though he felt Manchester City had the best style of play, but in terms of results, Los Blancos led the way.
He said (via beINSports):
"The best team, if we have to say, is Real Madrid, because they are the reigning Champions League winners. If you talk about results, it's Madrid; if you talk about style of play, personally, I like Guardiola's City. I think any team with Guardiola will be special because of his character, his way of coaching, and how he makes his teams play. In terms of style of play, for me, City is the best; for results, Madrid."
Lionel Messi recently helped Inter Miami win the MLS Supporters' Shield for this season. They are now aiming for the MLS Cup to add to it.