Barcelona captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen has revealed that he didn't always see eye-to-eye with the great Lionel Messi, adding that the pair clashed on several occasions.
Messi spent the bulk of his playing days in Catalonia before spending two forgettable years with Paris Saint-Germain. The Argentine is now into his third season at Inter Miami and is expected to represent his country at the 2026 World Cup, held in North America.
Messi's 2014-15 season is remembered as one of his finest, as he, in harmony with Luis Suarez and Neymar, helped Barca to the treble. It was also Ter Stegen's first at the club after he signed from Borussia Monchengladbach, but the German was exclusively used in the Champions League and Cope del Rey as Claudio Bravo started in La Liga.
While Messi departed in 2021, Ter Stegen is still at the club and was named captain last summer. In a recent discussion with Bild, the German was asked about some of his memories while playing with Messi, to which he replied: "The good moments or the bad moments? We had them all."
Ter Stegen described the Argentine as a "special character" but admitted there were times when they didn't see eye-to-eye. "We've had moments where things didn't work out between us because he was annoyed with me and I was annoyed with him," he said, before adding that he clashed with Messi "several times".
They had disagreements, but the German goalkeeper was keen to assert that the pair still maintained a good relationship, suggesting that disputes are only natural in such high-pressure environments.
"We never argued, as if to say we didn't get along at all. But we had our moments, and that's fine," Ter Stegen explained.
"We were in the locker room together for a long time, and it was definitely interesting to have him in the team and see how he leads. Whether it's my style or not, it was interesting to see.
"Leo is not a loudmouth; he works a lot with presence and needs to say relatively little, really. And when he says something, everyone listens. And that's what you really want to achieve as a captain: to be listened to and followed," he added.
Ter Stegen has struggled for fitness over the past couple of years, and he's missed the bulk of Barcelona's hugely successful 2024-25 campaign due to a knee injury. The German has recently returned to action, and he'll be the man hoisting the La Liga trophy aloft come the end of the campaign. They could be confirmed as champions as early as Wednesday.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Barcelona Star Reveals 'Several Clashes' With Lionel Messi.
