Lionel Messi had several memorable battles against Real Madrid, producing some iconic moments along the way. From his brilliant solo goal in the Champions League after receiving the ball from Sergio Busquets to his dramatic late winner at the Santiago Bernabeu, Messi repeatedly stunned the home crowd.
His shirtless celebration in front of the Madrid fans remains one of the most unforgettable images from El Clasico history. The Argentine made life extremely difficult for Real Madrid players and managers alike. Even one of their greatest managers, Jose Mourinho, admitted the challenge of preparing for Messi was so demanding that the Argentine gave him ‘nightmares.’
Messi’s presence was such a major concern for Real Madrid that their preparations often revolved around finding a way to contain him. Sami Khedira recalled how meetings that were supposed to focus on Barcelona would quickly turn into lengthy discussions about Messi, with Mourinho constantly adjusting his tactics and personnel to try to stop the Argentine.
“Preparing for the games was so funny because we spoke for two minutes about Barcelona.
“And then it was 40 minutes about Lionel Messi. He prepared every single detail. He changed some players, sometimes Pepe played as a No. 6, then Sergio Ramos. The most important thing was, ‘How can we stop Lionel Messi?'” Khedira said on Messi’s Netflix documentary.
‘What can we do to stop Lionel Messi?’
Mourinho himself admitted in his documentary just how difficult it was to prepare for Messi during his Real Madrid days. The Portuguese manager revealed that stopping the Argentine became a major focus, forcing him to find a different approach rather than trying to match Barcelona at their own game.
Mourinho added: “I was having a nightmare. ‘What can we do to stop him?’ From the first [El Clasico] game, I knew that we couldn’t be better than them doing the same as they do. To beat them, we had to be different both on and off the pitch. We were football enemies in the sense we fought for the same cup, the same league, the same Champions League. I think it was a good thing.”
Messi also left his mark on Real Madrid like few others, finishing his Barcelona career with 26 goals in 45 official appearances against the Spanish giants. That remains the highest tally scored by any player against the Los Blancos in football history.