“Absolute genius” - Chelsea legend John Terry posts incredible Lionel Messi tribute on Instagram after Inter Miami debut

Chelsea legend John Terry posted an incredible tribute to Lionel Messi after the Argentina captain made his debut for MLS club Inter Miami. Terry took to social media to post a heartfelt message.

Messi made a fantastic debut for Inter Miami as the 36-year-old netted a 94th-minute free-kick winner. He came on as a 54th-minute substitute in the Leagues Cup showdown against Liga MX side Cruz Azul.

The score was 1-0 in favor of Inter Miami when Messi came on. Cruz Azul, though, found an equalizer in the 65th minute. Messi, however, settled things on his terms with a winner in injury time and fans across the world were left in awe of the player, yet again.

John Terry, former Chelsea captain, was also mesmerized and took to social media to express his feelings. He wrote:

"We are lucky to have witnessed this man play and I’m even luckier to have played against and tested myself against him. Absolute GENIUS."

Terry and Messi came face to face on several occasions in the UEFA Champions League while playing for Chelsea and Barcelona, respectively. Despite the closely contested games they played against each other, Terry has the utmost respect for the Argentine, as his recent post shows.\

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When Cristiano Ronaldo hailed Lionel Messi as among the best players he has ever seen

While Lionel Messi is on a planet of his own, Cristiano Ronaldo is another player in the modern era who is widely regarded as the GOAT. Ronaldo and Mesi have given fans countless memorable moments throughout the course of their legendary careers.

While they have often been involved in on-field duels, the pair share a very respectful relationship. The same was evident from Ronaldo's comments during his interview with British broadcaster Piers Morgan in 2022. The Portuguese was asked whether Messi is the best player he has ever seen. He provided an emphatic response, telling (via SPORTBible):

“Probably (Messi), yes. Him (and) Zidane probably - that I have played and fought with."

He further said about Messi:

“Amazing player, he is magic. As a person, we share the stage 16 years, imagine, 16 years. we share. So, I have a great relationship with him. I'm not a friend of his in terms of, what I mean friend is the guy who was with you in your house, speaking on the phone, no, but it's like a teammate."

Messi is well appreciated in the football world for what he has achieved in the beautiful game. Many fans think that the Argentina captain 'completed' football after winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup.