Former Barcelona defender debunks old myth related to Lionel Messi

Former Barcelona defender Javier Mascherano recently addressed claims that Lionel Messi couldn’t be challenged with the same intensity as other players. 

In a short interview on the YouTube channel Shoot for Love, Mascherano confidently dismissed these allegations. He explained that during training sessions, Messi was treated just like any other player, even when he was the best on the pitch.

He mentioned that if a team wants to win, they can’t afford to be lenient with the best players. This approach applied equally to Messi, both at Barcelona and with the Argentina national team. 

Mascherano made it clear that Messi was not given special treatment in training, even though he was one of the most skilled footballers in the world.

“It’s not true that we couldn’t go hard against Messi. If you want to win, you can’t be careful with the best,”  said the Argentina U-21 coach as quoted by AS.

Messi was a beast

Reflecting on training sessions with Barcelona, Mascherano shared some interesting memories. 

He recalled that Messi’s sheer talent would often determine when a session would end. Barcelona typically held small tournaments in training, with three teams competing, and the first team to score five goals was declared the winner. 

“At Barcelona, we played short tournaments, three teams and with five goals you were the champion.” 

Javier Mascherano says Messi defended very well in training. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

Mascherano mentioned that there were occasions when Messi, using his exceptional ability, would single-handedly score the required five goals, effectively ending the session early. 

“Sometimes, when he decided that we had to finish the match, he scored five goals by himself. He made a team to win and the training session ended early,” he said.

Messi’s defensive awareness

When asked about Messi’s defensive qualities, Mascherano didn’t hesitate to praise this lesser-known aspect of his game. He expressed that if Messi had played as a defender, he could have been one of the best in the world. 

“If Messi had been a defender, he would possibly have been one of the best in the world. It is impossible to dribble past him.

“In Barcelona, we sometimes played one-on-one and it was impossible to dribble past him.”

Messi’s agility and speed made him a formidable defender, even though he was known more for his attacking prowess. While Messi didn’t rely on aggressive tackles, his quick reflexes and positioning allowed him to outclass opponents in one-on-one situations. 

“There are no options against him. He is a great defender. Leo is a very, very good defender. He doesn’t come in hard and low (tackle), but he is very fast when you try to dribble past him,” he added.