“Liked Barca more than Madrid because of Leo" - Taty Castellanos hails Lionel Messi as his 'idol' after 4-goal performance against Real Madrid

Girona's four-goal hero against Real Madrid Valentin 'Taty' Castellanos has hailed Lionel Messi as his idol after a historic performance at the Estadi Montilivi.

The Argentine attacker, on loan from New York City FC, scored all four of his team's goals in their 4-2 La Liga win against Real Madrid on Tuesday (April 25). He started the scoring in the 12th minute when he headed in a cross by Miguel Gutierrez.

Castellanos then held Eder Militao, whom he tormented throughout the game, off the ball to score his second of the game midway through the first half. Vinicius Junior halved the deficit in the 34th minute before two more goals from Girona's No. 9 in the second half settled the game.

Lucas Vazquez's 85th-minute strike sealed the 4-2 win. Castellanos, who was born in Mendoza, Argentina, confessed his admiration for Lionel Messi after the game. The 24-year-old said after his haul against Real Madrid, via Spanish outlet JijantesFC (h/t @ReshadRahman_):

"I've always liked Barca more than Madrid because of Leo. He's an idol for me."

Castellanos has 12 goals in 31 games across competitions for Girona this season. He has represented Argentina at U23 level six times but is yet to make his bow for their senior team.

Castellanos has never shared the pitch with Lionel Messi as a teammate or opponent. He will hope to do so with the Argentina national team before the 35-year-old Messi hangs up his boots.

---

Real Madrid boss gives his two cents on Lionel Messi's potential Barcelona return

Lionel Messi has not lined up against any team more than he has against Real Madrid (47) during his career.

Forty-five of them came during his time at Barcelona, where he tormented them with 26 goals and 14 assists. If it wasn't for Messi, Los Blancos could have dominated Spanish football without much resistance in the last two decades.

The 35-year-old could now return to Catalonia for a swansong with Barcelona. His contract at Paris Saint-Germain expires this summer. While Barca want to re-sign him, their financial troubles could prevent that from happening.

They're coming up with creative solutions to raise money to afford Messi's potential return. Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has, nevertheless, claimed that he's unbothered by what Messi and Barcelona are up to. The Italian was recently quoted as saying, via Relevo:

"Messi can do what he wants. Barcelona too. It's not an issue for me. I like him (sic.) as a player."

The PSG superstar last faced Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League last-16 in the 2021-22 season, losing 3-2 on aggregate.