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Lionel Messi is arguably the greatest player of all time. Like all players in the debate for the best footballer ever, the PSG star is a clinical goal scorer. But what makes Messi stand out is his dribbling and creativity.
The 34-year-old has been among the top three dribblers throughout his career. Moreover, he has more assists than any footballer in the 21st century. The Argentine legend gets the upper hand in comparisons with other great forwards due to these two statements.
Lionel Messi has a reputation of dribbling past players for fun
Lionel Messi is renowned for his silky smooth dribbling. He has an innate ability to glide past multiple players at will. Teams often deploy 2-3 players to mark Messi simultaneously. Even then, La Pulga finds a tiny space to weave his way out of danger.
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner has left numerous players biting the dust. Many great players have confessed that they hated going against the former Barcelona forward as they couldn’t get close to him. Here are five world-class players humiliated by Lionel Messi on the pitch.
#5 James Milner
James Milner is still going strong at 36 years of age. The Englishman is known for his stamina and versatility. He came up against Lionel Messi in the Champions League during his time at Manchester City.
The Premier League veteran was attempting to dispossess Messi near the half-line. As the then-Barcelona winger was passive, Milner tried pressing him. Messi took advantage by slotting the ball through Milner’s legs as his legs were far apart.
It was an embarrassing moment for Milner as Messi outsmarted him. Like Boateng, even Milner was on the floor after Messi went past him. Pep Guardiola, who was in attendance that evening, was also in awe of the skill.
#4 Jerome Boateng
Jerome Boateng was a vital part of the successful Bayern Munich side in 2010s. The centre-back won the 2014 FIFA World Cup with Germany. Despite being one of the best defenders in the mid-2010s, he couldn’t contain Lionel Messi.
The incident took place during the first leg of the Champions League semi-final clash between Barcelona and Bayern Munich in 2015. Messi received the ball just outside the 18-yard box. It looked as if the right-winger would cut in on his favoured right foot and unleash a shot.
However, he confused everyone, including Boateng, and went past the German defender with ease. Boateng was on the floor, and before he could get up, Messi chipped Manuel Neuer with his right foot. Barcelona ended up winning the first leg 3-0 and went on to win the final against Juventus.
#3 Arjen Robben
Arjen Robben was a sensational right-winger during his illustrious career. Much like Lionel Messi, he was renowned for cutting in on his favored left foot before curling the ball into the back of the net. During his early days, however, he was humiliated by Messi.
The match took place in 2006 when the Dutchman was playing for Chelsea. He was a late substitute for Andriy Shevchenko. Robben had to do his fair share of defensive work as the Blues were leading courtesy of a Didier Drogba goal.
The Bayern Munich legend was battling against Messi for the ball near the corner flag. After tussling until the touchline, Messi controlled the ball and flicked it past Robben. Robben put in a sliding tackle to gain possession, but Messi was already away.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo has been Lionel Messi’s arch-rival for almost two decades now. The duo have pushed each other to the limit throughout their careers. Although they are both forwards, they have encountered each other in rare circumstances.
Barcelona, especially under Pep Guardiola, were a side that dominated possession. During his prime years, Ronaldo was eager to win the ball back. As Ronaldo was a left-winger and Messi was a right-winger, they were on the same side of the field. At times, he even tried to tackle Messi.
Lionel Messi has taken the ball past Ronaldo multiple times. However, in one instance, Messi was about to take a shot. Ronaldo literally went on his knees to attempt a block in a last-ditch effort to prevent the Argentine from scoring. The end result left a bad taste in Ronaldo’s mouth.
#1 Sergio Ramos
Lionel Messi has scored 26 goals against Real Madrid. It comes as no surprise that he has had plenty of fruitful outings against Los Blancos defenders. Sergio Ramos and Marcelo were tasked with keeping Messi quiet, and the pair had their work cut out.
Messi has gone past Ramos on numerous occasions. The Spanish defender has fouled Messi in a bid to stop the attack. At times, Messi made Ramos look like an average footballer. In an El Clasico match, Messi performed the La Croqueta move to get past a confused Ramos.
During his early days, La Pulga flicked the ball above Ramos, which resulted in the defender struggling to keep up with Messi. The play ended with Ramos slide-tackling Messi as that was the only way to prevent the Barcelona man from embarrassing him again.
