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Barcelona legend Lionel Messi has explained why he supported Borussia Dortmund in the 2024 UEFA Champions League final with Real Madrid. Messi plied his trade at the Camp Nou for 17 seasons between 2004 and 2021.
Now at MLS side Inter Miami - whom he joined on a free transfer last summer - after a two-season stint with PSG, Messi is playing his first full season outside Europe for the first time.
Ahead of Argentina's friendly with Guatemala on Friday (June 14) in Landover, Maryland, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner explained that due to the fierce rivalry between Barca and Madrid, he supported the latter's opponents in the final. Messi said (as per Albiceleste Talk):
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"Champions League final? Yeah, we were supporting Dortmund obviously. I'm a Barcelona fan, and if theoretically Barcelona was in the final, Real Madrid fans would support the opponent too. That's how it is in football.
"Since childhood, I'm a Barcelona fan, I love Barca. Today, I'm just a fan from afar, and I hope we will fight for the Champions League again. It's been a long time since we won one."
Los Blancos won 2-0 at the Wembley to win the competition for a record-extending 15th time. Meanwhile, Barca lost 6-4 on aggregate to PSG in the quarterfinals, having last won the competition in 2015 as part of a continental treble.
How Barcelona legend Lionel Messi fared against Real Madrid
Lionel Messi is inarguably the greatest player to pull on a Blaugrana jersey. During a majestic near two-decade stint at the Camp Nou, the 36-year-old amassed a record 672 goals and 303 assists in 778 games across competitions.
He has played 47 times against Real Madrid during his illustrious career, with all but two of those games coming with the Blaugrana, scoring 26 times and providing 14 assists. Messi's teams won 20 times and lost 16.
The Argentina captain drew a blank in his last two games against Madrid - in the 2021-22 UEFA Champions League Round of 16 - while he was at PSG. Messi missed a penalty in the 1-0 first-leg home win and was ineffective in the return as the Parisians squandered a 2-0 aggregate lead to bow out.
