Liverpool captain compliments Lionel Messi of Barcelona.
Andy Robertson of Liverpool has hailed Lionel Messi to be the best player in the world who cannot be stopped even if you kick him to the ground. The English left-back played against the Argentine on two occasions in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals 2018/19. Thus the player is speaking with prior experience when he says that Messi is almost unstoppable.
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Although Liverpool did go on to win the tie and became eventual champions, Robertson admitted that he had a torrid time facing the Barcelona forward. He was very glad that the little magician did not join Manchester City as that would have made them the best team in the world. He said in an interview with The Times,
"“I wasn’t excited by it [the transfer speculation] at all. Messi would have taken City to a new level…They are already world-class but to get the best player in the world…when you play against Messi you have to second-guess him because you don’t know if he’s going left, going right. Mentally, it’s tiring, never mind physically.”’Source Goal"
He went on to further praise Messi by saying,
"“People sometimes think the only way to stop Messi is to kick him. But he bounces back up and it’s ‘give me the ball again’. An incredible player. Once he hangs up the boots, people will see his legacy and he’ll be up there with Diego Maradona and Pele as the best players ever.”"
While many fans are disappointed by seeing the transfer of Messi fail, Robertson’s interview confirms that many Premier League defenders are very happy that they will not have to face the superstar at least for this season. They should however not rejoice for too long as the ball is still in the air about Messi’s future and he may very well end up reuniting with Pep Guardiola next season on a free transfer.
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