Marc-Andre ter Stegen spent seven years as Lionel Messi's team-mate at Barcelona, and the Germany international has opened up on his relationship with the football icon
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Lionel Messi
Marc-Andre ter Stegen has spoken about his seven years playing alongside Lionel Messi
(Image: JAVIER SORIANO/AFP via Getty Images)
Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen has revealed that his relationship with Lionel Messi wasn't always straightforward during their seven-year stint together at the Camp Nou. The duo shared 13 titles before Messi's unexpected departure to Paris Saint-Germain in 2021.
A decade ago, in Ter Stegen's first season at the club, Barcelona won the treble under Luis Enrqiue, with Messi scoring 58 goals in 57 appearances across all competitions. However, financial constraints eventually meant Barcelona could not renew Messi's contract, resulting in his move to PSG. In his farewell message to the Argentine forward, Ter Stegen hinted at past disagreements and recently delved deeper into their dynamic as team-mates.
When asekd by Bild about his memories of playing alongside Messi, Ter Stegen quipped: "The good moments or the bad moments? We had them all.
"Leo is a special character at this level because he is motivated by a lot of things that we don't see, I think. We've had moments where things didn't work out between us because he was annoyed with me and I was annoyed with him.
"I think Leo is probably the only player who, if he wants to shoot you in the face, he can. The others would probably shoot anywhere, but he has the ability to hit the target."
When quizzed about whether he had ever clashed with Messi, a smiling Ter Stegen said: "Several times. But not angry at all, in the sense that it didn't drag on or anything like that.
"Leo is just an impressive character on the pitch, and he plays with a lightness that you will never see again, I'm 100% sure of that."
Despite acknowledging some friction, Ter Stegen was quick to clarify that there was never any real bad blood between him and Messi. The 33-year-old Barcelona skipper suggested that their occasional rows were the normal byproducts of competing at the highest level in a top-tier team.
"We never argued, as if to say we didn't get along at all. But we had our moments, and that's fine," Ter Stegen explained.
"We were in the locker room together for a long time, and it was definitely interesting to have him in the team and see how he leads. Whether it's my style or not, it was interesting to see.
"Leo is not a loudmouth; he works a lot with presence and needs to say relatively little, really. And when he says something, everyone listens. And that's what you really want to achieve as a captain: to be listened to and followed."
Lionel Messi and Marc-Andre ter Stegen
Lionel Messi and Marc-Andre ter Stegen won 13 major honours together
While Ter Stegen may take a different approach as Barcelona captain, his admiration for Messi's extraordinary talent and achievements remains undiminished. Throughout their time together at Barcelona, Messi scored a staggering 312 goals and provided 158 assists across 353 matches.
"He has the ability; if he wants to make you look bad, he does it with such ease, and with a pass or a shot that afterwards you'll say, 'That's impossible!'. And I've experienced that many times," Ter Stegen recalled. "And that's also why I'm glad I've always had him with me in the games and not on the other side."
Messi's goalscoring spree continued at PSG for a two-year stint before joining Inter Miami. The World Cup winner has since been dazzling fans stateside, contributing to their Leagues Cup and Supporters' Shield victories after joining in July 2023, with an impressive tally of 44 goals in 54 appearances for Miami.
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