Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen has said his relationship with former teammate Lionel Messi experienced ups and downs, but that he always appreciated having the Inter Miami forward on his team.
Ter Stegen joined Barça in 2014 and played alongside Messi for seven years until the Argentina international departed for Paris Saint-Germain in 2021.
The pair won numerous trophies together on the pitch, including the Champions League in 2015 and four LaLiga titles, but they did not always see eye to eye.
“The good or the bad moments?” Ter Stegen told Bild when asked to recount his best memories playing with the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner.
“We had them both [laughs]. Leo is a special character, who is at this [high] level because he’s motivated by a lot of things that we don’t see.
“There were moments when things didn’t work between us because he was annoyed with me and I was annoyed with him.
“I think Leo’s probably the only player that, if he wants to shoot right at your face, he can shoot right at your face.
“Other players would probably shoot somewhere else, but he’s got the ability to hit [the target] accurately.”
Asked if he had ever experienced Messi’s ire, Ter Stegen added: “Several times [smiles], but not in a bad way in the sense that it dragged on or anything.
“We never had an argument in the sense that you say we don’t get on at all. But we had moments, and that’s fine.
“Leo is simply a super impressive character on the pitch and he plays with an ease that you won’t see again, I’m 100% sure of that.
“He has the ability that if he wants to make you look bad [on the pitch], then he does it with such ease and with a pass or a shot that you say afterwards: ‘That was impossible!’
“I’ve experienced that more than once. And that’s why I’m glad I’ve always had him with me in games and not on the other side.”
Messi, Barça’s leading appearance maker (778) and goal scorer (672) of all time, became the club captain in the years leading to his departure, a role now held by Ter Stegen.
“We were in the dressing room together for a long time and it was definitely interesting to have him in the team and to see how he leads,” Ter Stegen continued.
“Whether it’s my style or not, it was interesting to see. Leo is not a loudspeaker, he works a lot with presence and he doesn’t need to say much, actually.
“When he does say something, everyone listens. And that’s what you actually want to achieve as a captain, that people listen to you and follow you.”
