Lionel Messi is one of the best players in the history of soccer. Wherever he goes, he makes a difference, and his style of play makes his mark. The Argentinean not only stands out for his style of play but also for the way he is. He is usually shown as a kind and peaceful person.
His manner used to be criticized by his country’s fans. Argentines wanted Messi to have the same character as Diego Maradona, but you cannot force a person to stop being the way he is. However, over the years, Messi’s attitude on the field has changed.
He started to be a more combative player, he started to fight more for the ball, and he also started to argue more with his opponents. He is no longer that young man who used to put up with the kicking of opponents without saying a word. Now Messi makes his presence felt on the field, not only because of his style of play, but alsoof the way he deals with his rivals, and Leandro Paredes suffered an angry Messi.
Leandro Paredes recalls Lionel Messi’s harsh words
PSG visited Barcelonaat the Camp Nou Stadium for the 2020-2021 UEFA Champions League round of 16. Messi was still playing for the Cules, while Paredes was a PSG player. The French team was beating Barcelona 4-1, and Paredes made a comment to his teammates, but something happened that he would never have wanted to happen. Messi heard him and responded harshly.
Paredes revealed to Caja Negra that he incurredthe seven-time Ballon d’Or winner during the UCL clash, saying: “He got angry, because I had made a comment to my teammates and he heard me, and he got angry. He became really angry. He f*cked me up. It was bad. He wanted to kill me and I wanted to go home”.
But any animosity was quickly put to one side, with Messi apparently forgetting the spat ever happened the next time the pair reported for international duty with Argentina. Paredes added: “Afterwards, I saw him in the national team, and he acted as if nothing had happened. He showed me what he is like as a person. The relationship continued as it was. Now when the conversation comes up, we talk about it and laugh, but he was really angry at the time – he wanted to kill me!”.