Former Athletic Club star’s honest admission about facing Messi: ‘How am I not going to be afraid of him?’ | OneFootball

Lionel Messi left Barcelona years ago, but stories about facing him still keep appearing in the media every other day. His opponents’ appreciation for him explains better than any statistic what he meant at his peak.

The latest in a long list comes from former Athletic Club midfielder Dani Garcia, who has spoken honestly about the fear of coming face to face with him.

As quoted by SPORT, Garcia recalled on the podcast Offsiders how difficult it was to defend against Messi during his Athletic days, especially because of the Argentine’s control, speed and ability to turn one touch into a decisive action.

He revealed a conversation with Eduardo Berizzo before one match against Barça, when the coach asked him whether he was afraid of Messi. Garcia said he lied in the moment and answered:

“Me? No, I’m not afraid of him.”

Berizzo then made the challenge clear:

“That is what I want to see in the match, you are going to mark him man-to-man.”

Messi in action against Athletic Club’s Dani Garcia and Oscar De Marcos. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

The fear every opponent understood

Garcia has now admitted, after all these years, that he lied to his coach. He said:

“How am I not going to be afraid of Messi? Every time he gets the ball, he is going to get away no matter what.”

That line says everything. With Messi, it was never a question of quality. It was a question of inevitability.

Garcia also explained how he tried to stop Messi when the Argentine came off the bench in one match. His solution was brutal but honest:

“The only way to stop him is to hit him on every wall pass.”

He also revealed that Messi, understandably irritated by the repeated fouls and interruptions, confronted him during the game. He said:

“Come on, do you not know how to play football?”

The only way to survive Messi

Garcia said he answered Messi directly:

“Leo, well, I do not know how to play football and this is the only thing I can do to stop you, man. I am sorry.”

He added that when it happened again, Messi would say: “Again, again.”

Greatest of all time. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

There is almost a strange beauty in that honesty. Garcia was not pretending he had found a clever tactical trick. He was admitting that Messi had reduced an elite professional footballer to tackling without reason.

Garcia explained why he felt forced to foul him:

“If I do not stop him, his move is going to reach Jordi Alba and the cutback is a goal, so I have to hit you no matter what. If I do not do it, my coach kills me.”

“Foul him and then with a yellow card, you hit him less, but until they show it to you, you have to stop him.”

This is a fascinating insight into how someone tasked with marking Messi felt during games. At his best, the Argentine was unstoppable, and he continues to be so to this day.

It also makes you appreciate the likes of Casemiro, who have done it so many times and with reasonable success, showing that there can be a method to the madness.

Messi’s time at Barça as a player may be done, but through such stories, his legacy will stay intact for generations to come.