« He is one of the three best players ever »: Real Madrid midfielder showers Messi with praise
The famed rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid, dubbed as El Clasico, lived its prime through the 2010s when Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo locked horns at the peak of their careers.
Apart from the two, there were several all-timers at both clubs, including the respective midfield trios of Xavi – Sergio Busquets – Andres Iniesta and Luka Modric – Casemiro – Toni Kroos.
Casemiro, in particular, was always involved in Clasico related controversy, especially with Messi. The two went 1v1 on several make-or-break occasions. Despite all their on-field arguments, the Brazilian still holds the six-time Ballon d’Or winner in very high regard.
“Messi is one of the three best players in history. You have to be a team to be able to stop him, it’s not possible alone. Against PSG, we will see a great game,” he said in conversation to Panenka Magazine when talking about the Madrid-PSG UCL game.
Casemiro continued to speak very highly of Messi, putting him in the same bracket as Ronaldo as players who ‘transformed football’.
“Messi and Cristiano have transformed football. Before, top scorers scored 20 or 25 goals. And these two arrive and start dialling 40, 50, or 60. It seemed impossible. They changed the sport.”
Real Madrid will travel to Paris to take on PSG in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 on the 15th of February. The return leg at the Santiago Bernabeu is scheduled for 9th March.