Messi Reveals Barcelona Players ‘Hated’ Chelsea More Than Real Madrid – The Truth Behind the Bitter Rivalry
Published: 16:37, 29 Sep 2024 GMT+1
Lionel Messi, the Argentine footballing legend, has revealed a shocking truth about Barcelona’s rivalry with Chelsea in the past. In an exclusive interview, Messi admitted that Barcelona players "hated" Chelsea more than their arch-rivals Real Madrid.
This bombshell revelation came during an interview with News of the World in 2005, when Messi was just 18 years old. At the time, there was intense animosity between Barcelona and Chelsea, fueled by a dramatic Champions League last-16 clash.
The bad blood between the two teams started a week earlier, when Jose Mourinho made some pointed comments about referee Anders Frisk after Didier Drogba was sent off in the first leg. This led to a toxic atmosphere ahead of the second leg, which Barcelona eventually won 2-1 at the Camp Nou.
In the aftermath of the match, Messi made a remarkable statement, saying, "There are [Barcelona] players here who hate Chelsea more than Real Madrid. I never thought I would hear myself say that. I also never thought I would see something worse than the Boca and River Plate rivalry or Brazil vs Argentina – but this is."
Messi went on to say, "We would rather play Arsenal, Manchester United or anyone else than be on the pitch with Chelsea."
It’s no surprise that the young Messi was feeling strong emotions about the rivalry. His comments reflect the deep-seated animosity between the two teams, which was fueled by the controversy surrounding the first leg and the intense pressure of the Champions League.
In his later years at Barcelona, Messi would go on to face Chelsea again in the Champions League, but the result was the same. Barcelona won 2-1 at the Camp Nou, with Messi scoring the winning goal.
Despite the victory, Messi would later reflect on the 2012 Champions League defeat to Chelsea as one of his biggest regrets in a Barcelona shirt. He said, "I would have liked to have tried to win another Champions League. We got knocked out in the semi-finals by Liverpool which stopped us getting to another final. We got to the semi-final with Chelsea with Pep [Guardiola], they prevented us from getting to another final."
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