"You have to tie him up" - When former PSG star made hilarious claim on how to stop Lionel Messi
Former Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) forward Lucas Moura once said that the only way to stop Lionel Messi is to tie him up. The Brazilian spent five seasons with the Parisians but wasn't around when the Argentinean moved to the Parc des Princes in 2021.
La Pulga rose through the ranks at Barcelona and transformed into one of the club's greatest players. He won countless trophies with the Catalans, including four Champions League titles and 10 LaLiga trophies.
Speaking in 2017 ahead of a Champions League Round of 16 tie between PSG and Barcelona, Moura insisted that it is impossible to stop Messi.
"For me it's impossible to stop [Messi]. You have to tie him up. The tactic is to prevent the ball getting to him. You must be very, very organised," said Lucas Moura via Goal.
Barcelona lost the first leg that season 0-4 at Parc des Princes. However, the Catalans secured a 6-1 win in the second leg at home, ultimately progressing to the quarterfinals with a 6-5 aggregate score.
However, the LaLiga giants were undone by Juventus, who knocked them out of the tournament. Lionel Messi, unfortunately, failed to win the Champions League again for the rest of his stay at Camp Nou.
When his contract expired in 2021, Barcelona were unable to hand him a new contract due to their financial issues. As such, the player was left with no choice but to leave the club.
PSG snooped in and won the race for his services. La Pulga spent two seasons with the Parisians, before leaving for Inter Miami in 2023.
How many goals has Lionel Messi scored for PSG?
When Lionel Messi left Barcelona in the summer of 2021, he had amassed 672 goals and 303 assists from 778 games for the club. PSG managed a coup by convincing the player to move to Ligue 1, despite interest from clubs across the continent.
The Argentinean spent two seasons at the Parc des Princes, winning the league on both occasions. Messi also won the Trophee Des Champions with the French giants, but the Champions League eluded him once again. He scored 32 goals and set up 35 more from 75 games across competitions for the French giants.
La Pulga left PSG last year once his contract expired and moved to the MLS to join Inter Miami. The Argentinean has won the Leagues Cup and the Supporters' Shield with the Herons so far.