Lionel Messi once admitted to being fearful of one England superstar who he claimed was 'one of the best in the world.' The Argentine is widely considered to be one of, if not the greatest player to ever live, having collected a record eight Ballon d'Ors and countless team honours during his legendary career.
Despite amassing 193 caps for his country, Messi has never appeared in a game against the Three Lions – missing a 3-2 defeat ahead of the 2006 World Cup in which Michael Owen bagged a brace and a young Wayne Rooney scored England's first. However, the little magician has played against several English opponents and players in club competition, and handed special praise to one star in particular.
Lionel Messi named three best goalkeepers he faced Related
Lionel Messi Named 'England’s Greatest-Ever Player'
Lionel Messi knows greatness, and he has eight Balon d'Or awards to back that up, but who does he think England's greatest-ever player is?
Messi Praised Frank Lampard Ahead of Massive Champions League Clash
The Argentine was very complimentary of his opponent ahead of their meeting in 2009
Speaking ahead of Barcelona's Champions League semi-final clash with Chelsea in 2009, as per talkSPORT, Messi admitted that Los Cules were fearful of the strengths that Frank Lampard possessed, and earmarked him as a player they needed to look out for. At the time, the Premier League great was arguably in the prime of his career and was looking to guid the Blues to a second consecutive European Cup final.
Speaking on Lampard, Messi stated:
"We know they have a great squad that contains some of the best players in Europe, but I particularly admire Frank Lampard. To have a midfield player who consistently scores so many goals at the top level is a rare thing. It is something we need to look out for in the two matches. For sure, Frank is a big threat."
The tie that followed proved to be a hugely controversial one. Following a 0-0 first leg at the Camp Nou, the two sides returned to Stamford Bridge, with Lampard's midfield partner Michael Essien putting the hosts in front inside 10 minutes.
Chelsea continued to pile on the pressure but had several appeals for what seemed to be clear-cut penalties turned away by referee Tom Henning Ovrebo. This would eventually lead to Andres Iniesta scoring a stoppage-time winner to knock the English side out on away goals, prompting an emotional reaction from Didier Drogba in particular.
Barcelona would go on to beat Manchester United in the resulting final in Rome, with Messi grabbing the second in a 2-0 win.
MixCollage-15-Aug-2024-04-30-PM-9253 Related
Lionel Messi Named Premier League Club Barcelona Hated More Than Real Madrid
The two teams were involved in several controversial ties in the 2000s.
All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt - accurate as of 21/06/2025.