Marcelo admits Messi to be his toughest opponent

Real Madrid legend Marcelo has referred to Messi as “incredible” and the “toughest opponent” he has ever faced

Marcelo, the experienced Brazilian left-back, spent 15 years at Santiago Bernabeu and left the club in 2022 as a free agent. During his time at Real Madrid, he often faced off against Barcelona’s Messi in fierce derby matches.

Marcelo opens up about ‘toughest opponent’

Marcelo admits that Messi was his toughest opponent, as the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner proved to be extremely difficult to handle on the field.

The former Real Madrid left-back has told The Athletic: “Messi is incredible, the toughest opponent I’ve ever faced. We all know the quality he has even now, aged 35, and before it was the same. El Clasico has always been one of the best games to watch and play. I was lucky enough to have featured in one of the best eras of Clasicos. But it wasn’t just Messi, there were other players who were also incredible.”

“Messi is incredible, the toughest opponent I’ve ever faced“

Marcelo

Marcelo and Messi were rivals on the pitch, but Marcelo was also a teammate of Cristiano Ronaldo for nine years.

During their time together in Madrid, Marcelo and Ronaldo developed a close relationship, often showcasing their playful banter and training ground antics on social media.

Marcelo said of working with another all-time great: “There were a lot of videos of Cris and I doing jokes in training, the celebration (“Siuuuh!”) and so on, but Sergio (Ramos), Casemiro, Luka (Modric), Karim (Benzema)… I have a lot of friends in football. Of course, what came out was always about Cristiano and the celebration and it’s super normal, but I have other friends as well with whom I do things outside of football.”

After leaving Real Madrid, Marcelo joined Olympiacos but his time in Greece was short-lived, lasting only a few months.

The 34-year-old defender has now returned to his home country and joined Fluminense, the club where he began his career.