KOLKATA: During his long stint with Barcelona, Lionel Messi mesmerized and tormented Real Madrid with a magical display of individual brilliance many a time.
As Messi --- who still holds the record of scoring maximum number of goals in El Clasico --- brings his PSG ensemble to the Santiago Bernabeu for the second leg of their round-of-16 Champions League clash on Tuesday, Real Madrid's home can again be "Messi-merized", believes former Barcelona player Jofre Mateu.
PSG will go into the contest with a 1-0 goal advantage, thanks to Kylian Mbappe's last-gasp goal in Paris. Real Madrid will also miss Casemiro through suspension while Toni Kroos is a doubtful starter.
"This is a match which always sets up the stage for Messi. At Bernabeu, I'm waiting for an extraordinary match from him, I'm waiting to see a Messi in good form, if not the best of him. Having Mbappe, Neymar and Mesis upfront, PSG have definitely a good chance of winning the match," Jofre said during an interaction with a select Indian journalists on Monday.
Both Messi and his one-time rival at Real and now Manchester United player Cristiano Ronaldo are approaching the fag end of their career, 42-year-old Jofre, who spent a good number of years at various teams of Barcelona at the start of the century, thinks Mbappe and Borussia Dortmund's Erling Haaland could be the next big star in Europe.
"But the next star will be more like Ronaldo, a finisher. It's difficult to get another Messi because of the nature of his play and the way he sees and dominates the field," Jofre, who also played for ATK and FC Goa in the ISL, pointed out. "Maybe, Ansu Fati (of Barcelona) has a potential (of filling Messi's shoes), but he has a long long way to go," he added.
As several title favourites are in action this week, with four quarterfinal berths up for grabs, Jofre picked up Bayern Munich, Liverpool, PSG and Manchester City as the potential semifinalists. "And I like the title to be fought between Manchester City and Bayern, provided they are not drawn to face each other earlier," he maintained.
"This could be the season for City. But the only you can ask about Pep Guardiola's team is their absence of a proper No. 9. In the Champions League knockout stage, you may be left with a one or two chances and must make them count. They need someone like Haaland. But Guardiola has a system which always gives them an advantage over others," Jofre said.
