Marcelo lavishes praise on Messi: «He was unbelievable» | OneFootball

Marcelo is, without a doubt, a defining figure in Real Madrid’s history. The former left-back boasts the incredible total of 25 titles with Los Blancos, making him the most decorated player in the club’s history. Despite this, in an interview on Romario’s personal channel, he made it very clear that he has a soft spot for Lionel Messi, whom he ranked above Cristiano Ronaldo himself: “It was crazy. He’s a beast. I’m still looking for him to this day.”

“When the ball comes to him, he already knows where he has to move, what to do, when to take off, and all that. To me, it’s insane,” the Brazilian explained when asked which player was the toughest he ever had to face. He also acknowledged that “those of us who played in the era of both of them have to be grateful for that.” The Rio de Janeiro native played 333 official matches alongside the Portuguese star, with whom he won four Champions League titles.

Lastly, Marcelo ended with a clear stance on one of the greatest rivalries in sports history: “I think it’s important to say this because a lot of people say, ‘ah, but Cristiano…’, ‘but Messi…’. No: we saw them, we’re still seeing them. It’s something to enjoy.”

During the Rio de Janeiro native’s time at Real Madrid (2007–2021), he faced the current Inter Miami player on 45 occasions. The record in that span shows a slight edge for Barcelona: 19 wins for the Blaugrana, 11 draws, and 15 victories for the Madrid side.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.