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Real Madrid legend Sergio Ramos once labeled Lionel Messi 'the best player football has ever produced.' The two regularly came up against each other during the Argentine icon's time with Barcelona.
La Pulga rose through the ranks at Camp Nou before breaking into the first team in 2004. Ramos, meanwhile, joined Los Blancos from Sevilla in 2005.
For the next decade and a half, the two locked horns regularly in El Clasico. Lionel Messi was forced to leave the Catalans in the summer of 2021, as he joined Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) as a free agent.
Interestingly, Ramos also left Real Madrid that summer to join the Parisians. For the next two seasons, the former bitter rivals turned into teammates, sharing the pitch and winning trophies together.
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During an interview with PSG TV in 2023, Ramos said he suffered for many years while playing against Lionel Messi.
"There was suffering for several years playing against Messi. I am now enjoying him. He is the best player football has ever produced," Ramos said (via GOAL).
Sergio Ramos also shared the pitch with Messi's bitter rival Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid for nine seasons. However, the Spaniard placed the Argentine legend ahead of the Portuguese star after parting ways with Los Blancos.
La Pulga left the Parc des Princes in the summer of 2023 to move to Inter Miami. Ramos also left the Ligue 1 champions that year to briefly join Sevilla.
How many times has Lionel Messi faced Real Madrid in his career?
Lionel Messi first came up against Real Madrid in the 2005-06 campaign as a Barcelona player. He had set up Samuel Eto'o to score the opening goal as the Catalans won 3-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu.
It would be the start of a tremendous run against one of the best teams in the world. La Pulga went on to appear 47 times against Los Blancos, winning 20 games and losing 16.
His final appearance against Real Madrid, however, came as a PSG player in the Champions League in the 2021-22 campaign. The Argentine legend was part of the team that lost 3-1 to the LaLiga champions in the second leg of the round of 16.
Messi has scored 26 times and set up 14 more against Los Blancos in his career. Interestingly, all those goal-scoring contributions came during his time at Camp Nou. The 37-year-old currently plies his trade with Inter Miami, although his contract at the Chase Stadium expires in December 2025.
