Real Madrid legend Roberto Carlos considers himself “lucky” that he did not have to face “new Maradona” Lionel Messi very often.
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- Argentina burst onto the scene as teenager
- Quickly became a record-breaking goalscorer
- Brazilian glad he left Spanish football when he did
- Getty
WHAT HAPPENED?
The Brazilian full-back was on the Blancos’ books when another Argentina superstar was breaking onto a senior stage at Barcelona. Carlos left Spain in 2007, but that was long enough to get a good look at Messi and the South American’s obvious potential.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
It was 2008-09 before Messi became a prolific presence for Barca, as he broke the 30-goal barrier for the fist time, but Carlos – along with fellow World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro – had already come to the conclusion that the now eight-time Ballon d’Or winner would become the best player on the planet.
- Getty/GOAL
WHAT CARLOS SAID
Madrid icon Carlos has told of his limited experience trying to contain one of the most elusive players to have ever laced up a pair of boots: “When Messi dribbled past Cannavaro and me and ran over us and the match ended, I turned to Cannavaro and said: ‘My God, who is this player? He’s the new Maradona.’ I’m lucky, I didn’t have much time left before I retired, how would the next generation of defenders cope? They’ll really struggle with him. I knew he’d be the best player in the world. In the future, he would win everything and I’m happy because I watched him more than I played against him.”
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WHAT NEXT?
Messi lined up against Cannavaro and Carlos in a 2006 clash at the Bernabeu that Real won 2-0. He posed plenty of problems that day, though, and was well on course to become a performer that now sits comfortably at the top of many GOAT lists.
