It is no secret to anyone what Leo Messi is capable of on the field. The Argentine has historically been synonymous with good play, especially in the offensive realm, where he has shown he can be lethal. This is supported by his 843 goals and 413 assists throughout a career that can still continue to add to these statistics, as the Rosario native remains active both with the Argentine national team and at club level with Inter Miami.
However, 'La Pulga' apparently is not just a star for creating danger offensively, but also appears to be a player who, against all odds, excels in the defensive aspect. Javier Mascherano, his compatriot, mentioned in an interview with 'Shoot for Love' the exceptional defensive tools that Leo Messi possesses, which are rarely showcased:
"If Messi were a defender, perhaps he would be one of the best defenders in the world. It's impossible to dribble past him. Sometimes, at Barcelona, we played one-on-one and it was impossible to beat him. We had no chance against him. At times, attackers know how to defend. Leo defended very well. He was very fast, and when you tried to dribble past him, it was impossible," stated 'El Jefecito'.
Mascherano's anecdote about the differences Messi could create in Barcelona's training sessions
In that vein, the Argentina U-20 coach also shared an anecdote about what it meant to train with the '10' of Inter Miami, debunking the notion that you couldn't go hard against him and recalling a humorous situation during the 'mini-matches':
"You don't need to tell the players. If you want to win, you have to watch out for the best. When we played small games in training, we had three teams, and the first to win five times would be the victor. Sometimes, when Messi decided training was over, he would score five goals and lead his team to victory."