Marcelo Hails Lionel Messi as His Toughest Opponent Ever
The post Marcelo Hails Lionel Messi as His Toughest Opponent Ever appeared first on The12thMan.
Real Madrid and Brazil legend Marcelo has hailed Lionel Messi as the toughest opponent he has ever faced.
Marcelo, who played for Real Madrid between 2007 and 2022, regularly came up against Lionel Messi when the Argentine superstar was at Barcelona. Marcelo has also faced Messi during Brazil vs Argentina matches.
“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 featured in one of the best eras of Clasicos. But it wasn’t just Messi, there were other players who were also incredible,” he told The Athletic.
Marcelo formed a great partnership with Cristiano Ronaldo during the Portuguese footballer’s time at Real Madrid.
On working with Cristiano Ronaldo, Marcelo said: “There were a lot of videos of Cris and I doing jokes in training, the celebration (“Siuuuh!”) and so on, but Sergio (Ramos), Casemiro, Luka (Modric), Karim (Benzema)… 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.”
Meanwhile, Marcelo made 546 appearances for Real Madrid during his time at the Spanish club. He won a number of titles with the Spanish behemoths, including five Champions League titles. He also won the La Liga title six times with Real Madrid.
Marcelo left Real Madrid after the 2021/22 season. In September 2022, he joined the Greek side Olympiacos. He left Olympiacos in February 2023 after terminating his contract with the club.
He then signed for Brazilian side Fluminense, and it marked his return to the club he began his professional career. He was a Fluminense player before joining Real Madrid in 2007.
The post Marcelo Hails Lionel Messi as His Toughest Opponent Ever appeared first on The12thMan.
