Record eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi has opened up about his fiercest rival in the El Clasico encounters he experienced during his time with Barcelona in LaLiga, Spain.
Messi joined Barcelona as a young child in 2001 and spent the majority of his footballing career at the Catalan capital. He emerged as their greatest-ever player and their all-time highest goalscorer.
During his time in Spain, he was involved in numerous El Clasico games against arch-rivals Real Madrid. The 36-year-old, in an appearance on his nephew’s YouTube show, revealed that his most intense opponent in these encounters was former Real Madrid star Sergio Ramos.
“We fought a lot with Sergio Ramos. We later became teammates, but before in the Clasicos, we always grabbed each other. The Clasicos were intense,” Messi stated.
Twitter code:Messi confiesa que jugador fue su dolor de cabeza
— ContraataqueDeportivo (@ContraAtaqueDep) June 18, 2024
El astro argentino, Lionel Messi, en una entrevista para el canal de Youtube ‘Dispuestos a Todo’ de su sobrino Tomás Messi, reveló el delantero del Inter Miami que Sergio Ramos fue el jugador con el que más paso corajes. pic.twitter.com/Zf6n9KOD30
Messi and Ramos were involved in numerous battles and heated discussions on the field, with Ramos leading the defense of Madrid and also being their captain. However, the duo became teammates in 2021 when playing for Paris Saint-Germain in France.
Despite playing for Messi’s rival club, Ramos has in the past lavished praise on the Argentinian, calling him, “the best player football has ever produced.”
Messi is currently preparing to defend the Copa America title with Argentina, with the tournament scheduled to start on 20 June in the United States of America (USA). He returned for Argentina for the first time in six months last week, playing a key role in Argentina’s 1-0 victory over Ecuador in a Copa America warm-up fixture.
Argentina has been drawn in Group A along with Peru, Chile, and Canada. They open their Copa America campaign against Canada on Friday, June 21 (Philippine Standard Time), at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Ramos, meanwhile, confirmed his departure from Sevilla on Tuesday, June 18. The center-back returned back to his boyhood club last summer after spending two seasons with PSG. He made 37 appearances for the Spanish club and refuted rumors that he is considering retiring from football.
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