Lionel Messi has omitted Liverpool from his list of potential Champions League winners this season.
The Argentinian legend, who is hoping to steer petrodollar-fuelled Paris Saint-Germain to their first European crown after his sensational switch from cash-strapped fallen Catalan giants Barcelona over the summer, went through a list of potential contenders but failed to name-check Jurgen Klopp’s side.
Messi, 34, now considered by many to be the greatest footballer of all-time, also mentioned three other English clubs on his list.
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The Mirror cite him as telling L’Equipe: “It is true that the centre of attention is on PSG, but there are other very strong teams, such as Chelsea, the Manchester teams (United and City), Real Madrid, who always responds, Inter, Bayern.
“We have great individuals, but we still have to know each other well to form a team. To win important titles you have to play as a team.
“That is what makes me say that we are still one step back compared to all these clubs, who have more collective experience than us.”
Perhaps six-times winners Liverpool’s name just somehow slipped Messi’s mind or maybe the memories of the dramatic 4-0 collapse in the Champions League semi-final second leg at Anfield in 2019 that marked the beginning of Barcelona’s decline, paving the way for his own Camp Nou exit, still haunt him and make it too painful for him to mention?
