'I'm happy because I watched more than I played against him,': Real Madrid legend on Lionel Messi

Unquestionably, Lionel Messi is among the best players in football history. At Barcelona, his performance was a show that made the world's greatest defenders shudder. Messi distinguishes himself with his exceptional abilities, agility, and goal-scoring ability, therefore permanently changing the game and the audience all around.

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Roberto Carlos made a huge statement about Lionel Messi 

Legendary defender Roberto Carlos of Real Madrid praised Lionel Messi, among the finest players who have ever worn the Barcelona jersey, their fierce rivals. At 51, Carlos said he preferred seeing the games of the Argentine wizard than facing him on the pitch.

From a legendary El Clasico in the 2006-07 La Liga season, the former Brazil international remembered a remarkable incident. Barcelona visited the Santiago Bernabeu during this game carrying a 19-year-old Messi on their team. The defence of Real Madrid, which featured Carlos and Fabio Cannavaro, the 2006 Ballon d'Or nominee, had great difficulty from Messi's spectacular performance. Madrid won the game 2-0, hence, Lionel Messi's performance was the highlight of the game, even if that outcome was not in Barcelona’s favour.

Messi slid past both Cannavaro and Carlos in one really remarkable action. Considering that experience and the game, Carlos said (via @AlbicelesteTalk on X):

"When Messi dribbled past Cannavaro and me, and ran over us, and the match ended, I turned to Cannavaro and said: 'My God, who is this player? He's the new Maradona.'"

"I'm lucky. I don't have much time left before I retire. How will the next generation of defenders cope? They'll really struggle with him. I knew he'd be the best player in the world. In the future, he would win everything. I'm happy because I watched him more than I played against him,"

The 2022 World Cup winner, Lionel Messi fulfilled the high expectations by scoring 672 goals and providing 303 assists in 778 outings for Barcelona in all competitions. He achieved a remarkable feat of winning 34 titles with the Catalan team, setting a new record for the club. Additionally, he holds the distinction of being the highest goal scorer in the history of El Clasico, having scored 26 goals against Real Madrid. Lionel Messi left Barcelona in 2021 and after that, the Catalan club has been struggling and is not what it used to be a decade ago.