'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr. once claimed that Lionel Messi did not give nightmares to the Spanish club. His comments came during the 2018-2019 season ahead of Los Blancos' consecutive games against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey semi-final second-leg and LaLiga.
Before Vinicius' comments, Real Madrid had faced Barcelona in the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg, where they drew 1-1. The Catalan side went on to win the second leg 3-0 (4-1 on aggregate), courtesy of a brace by Luis Suarez and Raphael Varane's own goal on February 28, 2019. La Blaugrana eventually lost 2-1 to Valencia in the final.
The two LaLiga giants once again clashed in the league the same week. La Blaugrana won 1-0, with Ivan Rakitic scoring the only goal of the game on March 3, 2019. Lionel Messi did not score or assist in either of the Clasicos that week. However, Barcelona went on to win LaLiga that season with 87 points.
Trending
Ahead of the Clasicos, Vinicius Jr. took to X (then Twitter) to clarify his comments on Lionel Messi, which were apparently misquoted by Brazilian outlet Esporte Interativo.
The Real Madrid star wrote (translation from Portuguese via Google Translate):
"'Messi is incredible, he does things that few players are capable of doing, but he doesn't scare us. We are ready for anything that comes. We have the best players in the world as well.' I think that was the answer, right?"
Vinicius Jr. and Messi have faced each other in 10 games. Six of the clashes were El Clasicos while two came when the Argentine legend was at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). The 2018-19 Copa del Rey semi-final first leg marked their first game opposite each other.
The other two were international fixtures, including Argentina's 1-0 win over Brazil in the 2021 Copa America final. Overall, Messi won four and lost four while two games ended in a stalemate against Vinicius.
When Vinicius Jr. chose Lionel Messi over Real Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo in age-old debate
It appears that almost all footballers have faced the age-old question of choosing between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo at least once in their career. In a 2017 interview with Spanish outlet El Chiringuito TV, Vinicuis Jr. weighed in on the debate.
Interviewer: Who is better, Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo?
Vinicius: Messi, Messi.
Vinicius' comments came in 2017, a year before he joined Real Madrid from Brazilian side Flamengo. The Brazilian superstar currently sports the iconic No. 7 shirt at the club, previously worn by legends like Cristiano Ronaldo and Raul. In 278 appearances for Real Madrid so far, Vinicuis Jr. has recorded 91 goals and 82 assists across competitions.
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi has been in impressive form for both club and country this season. Since coming back from a ligament injury break in September, Messi has scored two hat-tricks this month. The first one came in Argentina's 6-0 win over Bolivia in the World Cup qualifiers (October 15) and the second during Inter Miami's 6-2 win over New England Revolution (October 19) in the MLS.
