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What's the story?
Tennis great Roger Federer has admitted that he is a huge fan of Argentine maestro Lionel Messi in his recent interview.
Federer also explains what he admires the most about Messi, claiming that the Argentine superstar has multiple options available to him when he gets the ball due to his calibre.
In case you didn't know...
Along with his arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi has been dominating world football for over a decade. Messi has won five Ballon d'Or awards in his glittering career and he is showing no signs of slowing down. Despite being on the wrong side of the 30 age mark, Messi has consistently proved that he is still football's finest in the recently concluded campaign.
Messi bagged 51 goals across all competitions with Barcelona, which helped the Catalan side retain La Liga title. Despite Barcelona's failure in the tournament, the Blaugrana captain was the highest scorer in the Champions League with 12 goals in 2018/19 competition. Owing to his exploits, Messi also won the European Golden Shoe and the Pichichi award for a record sixth time.
Messi is yet to replicate his form and success with Argentina in the past couple of years. With Messi leading the side, the Albiceleste are looking to break their curse in the Copa America, after having lost two consecutive finals in 2015 and 2016, shortly after they lost the 2014 FIFA World Cup final to Germany.
The heart of the matter
Federer needs no introduction. He is arguably the greatest player in the history of Tennis and has won a world record of 20 Grand Slam titles so far. Even he is in awe of Messi, and has explained why he is fan of Argentine maestro.
Speaking in an interview with Financial times, Federer said:
“I have always been a Lionel Messi fan.
“What I love about Messi probably most is when he gets the ball and is able to turn the body towards the goal, then he has full vision.”
“Then he’s going to pass, or dribble, or shoot. There are always three options for him. He’s one of the few who’s got that."
What's next?
Messi will feature for Argentina when they face Brazil in the Copa America Semi-finals next week.
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