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Liverpool star Alexis Mac Allister has claimed that former teammate Luis Diaz was like Argentine legend Lionel Messi in training. He also named PSG forward Ousmane Dembele as another player who is similar to the Barcelona legend.
Speaking to TNT Sports, Mac Allister joked that he had to mark Diaz in Liverpool training, and the winger was hard to tackle. He believes that Dembele and Diaz are the only players who can be compared to Messi and said:
“I think (Ousmane) Dembele, when we played PSG away at that time, was at a really good level. I would put Lucho up there as well, Lucho Diaz. It was really hard to mark him, even in training, I had to give him a couple of tackles.”
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Diaz is a fan of Lionel Messi and claimed that he 'almost died' after meeting the Argentine legend for the first time. He spoke to Soho Magazine in 2022 and said (via GOAL):
"I almost died, I almost said 'I love you' and everything, haha! Truly, he has always been my reference. My great idol was Ronaldinho, but since he is retired I was never able to play against him. The day I meet him, I am really going to die!"
"I love Messi. The first time I had contact with him was in a Colombian game in Barranquilla, but I didn't start; I was just starting out in the national team. And then I came across him in the Copa America two years ago and it was a great emotion."
Lionel Messi has faced Luis Diaz four times in his career, all with Argentina. The former Liverpool star could not get a win, with the Inter Miami captain getting two wins and drawing the other two.
Lionel Messi put an end to Liverpool star Alexis Mac Allister's cruel nickname
Liverpool star Alexis Mac Allister spoke to The Athletic in 2022 and revealed that Lionel Messi ensured Argentine players stopped using a cruel nickname for him. He claimed that the players used to call him 'Colo', which meant ginger, and said:
“I remember everyone called me ‘Colo’, which is ginger in Argentina. I don’t like it much and he told the teammates that. He said, ‘He doesn’t like to be called Colo, so don’t call him that!’"
Lionel Messi has played 29 matches with Liverpool star Alexis Mac Allister in the Argentine national team. They have won the Copa America twice, while also winning the FIFA World Cup in 2022.
