Lionel Messi is one of the great footballers of our time. His influence and fame even make his rivals become admirers of him.
Real Madrid was one of the clubs that were one of Messi’s great rivals during his time at Barcelona. They also suffered greatly from the Argentine who scored 26 goals against them which is a record. So it is surprising to see Marcelo, one of Real Madrid’s legends admitting Lionel Messi as an “incredible” and his “toughest opponent”.
The veteran Brazilian left-back bid goodbye to Madrid as a free agent in 2022, bringing a 15-year stint at the Santiago Bernabeu to an end. Much of his time in Madrid was spent in direct rivalry with Barcelona star Messi, with their paths intersecting on numerous occasions in the fiercest of derbies. Marcelo admits that facing the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner was his toughest test, with the unpredictable Argentine proving virtually impossible to hold back at times.
What did Marcelo say about Lionel Messi?
Marcelo spoke about Messi and El Clasico to the Athletic, “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 been featured in one of the best eras of Clasicos. But it wasn’t just Messi, there were other players who were also incredible.”
While Marcelo was Messi’s adversary, he was also Cristiano Ronaldo’s teammate for nine unforgettable years. During their time in Madrid, the pair formed a close relationship, with their hilarious antics on the training field frequently making the rounds on social media. He had even invited Cristiano Ronaldo to his current club Fluminense.
Marcelo spoke about playing with soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. He said, “There were a lot of videos of Cris and I doing jokes in training, the celebration (Ronaldo’s Siuuu celebration), and so on, but Sergio Ramos, Casemiro, Luka, Karim. I have a lot of friends in football. Of course, what came out was always about Cristiano and the celebration and it’s super normal, but I have other friends as well with whom I do things outside of football.”
Marcelo joined Olympiacos after leaving Real Madrid, but his time in Greece was brief, and the 34-year-old defender is now back at Fluminense, where it all started for him.
