Lionel Messi is one of the greatest footballers of all time, playing football in some iconic stadiums throughout his career. Argentina has been in control of football since 2004, starring Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and now Miami.
The eight-time Ballon D’Or Winner won four Champions League titles in Barcelona and played in many countries across Europe, confronting some raucous crowds during that time.
Interestingly, Messi actually picked a Scottish giant as the “best atmosphere in Europe”, with Argentina’s idol playing in both Celtic Park and Ibrox during his time at Barcelona players.
|
Messi’s Records and Celtics (Hometown) |
|
|---|---|
|
game |
6 |
|
victory |
5 |
|
Target |
8 |
|
Messi’s Records and Rangers (Hometown) |
|
|
game |
2 |
|
victory |
1 |
|
Target |
1 |
In 2007, Messi competed in a 0-0 Champions League group stage with the Rangers during her sole visit to Ibrox.
However, he made progress on the other side of Glasgow against the Celtics, but scored in 2008 and 2016 wins, while also scoring a 2-1 win in 2012.
He played against Fraser Forster when the basketball team beat Barcelona, and Messi later admitted that he was shocked by the goalkeeper’s performance that night.
“Fraser Forster opposed our performance for a long time. There was a game in Scotland when he wasn’t a human, and it was the best goalkeeper I’ve ever seen.
Messi decides the best atmosphere between Celtics and Rangers
In 2015, Messi was asked to name the best stadium atmosphere he has ever had as a player. He named Celtic the Wanderer, and described Parkhead as “special”, “a hard place” and “the best place” in Europe.
“The game against the Celtics is special and I want to remember them. The Celtic Park is a hard place to go. It’s no easy task to get results there. We know that if we draw them into the Champions League, we’ll have a tough game, but everyone who plays in the Barcelona V Celtics wants to play again.
“It’s the best atmosphere in Europe and we all want to experience it again.”
Messi is now with Inter Miami in the United States of America and he may never play in Parkhead again, but his three visits to Glasgow certainly left a mark on one of the best footballers of all time.
