"One of the matches that surprised me the most" - When Lionel Messi named toughest team he's ever come up against
Lionel Messi picked a surprise team when he was asked to name the toughest team he has ever faced in his career. The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain ace played against some of the best teams in the world throughout his illustrious career for both club and country.
During his Barcelona days, Lionel Messi regularly came across a really strong Real Madrid side with Cristiano Ronaldo in the side. He also played against European giants like Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool.
However, when he was asked to name the strongest team he ever faced, he named the Spain national team. He especially highlighted a game between Spain and Argentina in 2009 which Spain won 2-1. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner told Catalan newspaper RAC1 in 2019, as quoted by GIVEMESPORT:
“The Spanish team, we played a friendly at Atletico's stadium. Maradona was our coach and it was before the 2010 World Cup when they became champions. It was one of the matches that surprised me the most.”
Lionel Messi only faced Spain thrice throughout his international career but all three were friendlies. Spain won twice each with a 2-1 scorelines while Argentina won once with a 4-1 scoreline.
Spain had an incredible run between 2008 and 2012 during which they won two UEFA European Championships and one FIFA World Cup. La Roja had an incredible team back then with superstars like Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets, Alonso, Ramos, Casillas, Villa, and Torres among others.
Ousmane Dembele hails Lionel Messi as the 'best player ever'
Former Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele has named Lionel Messi as the greatest player of all time. Dembele was asked whether he considers the current Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) side the best team he has ever played for.
Dembele claimed that he could not say whether his current side was the best team he had played for. However, he admitted that he is enjoying himself the most right now playing under Luis Enrique.
The Frenchman also claimed that he considers Lionel Messi the best player of all time. He told Mundo Deportivo, as quoted by Barca Universal:
“I don’t know if it’s the best. I played in Messi’s Barça. For me, he is the best player of all time, but yes, it is this PSG, the team in which I have the most fun."
Dembele spent six years at Barcelona, where he failed to live up to his massive €148 million reported transfer fee. He played alongside Messi for four years at Barcelona before the Argentine left for PSG in 2021.