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Lionel Messi admits Barcelona talked about signing Fraser Forster after declaring he was ‘not human’ following a 2-1 defeat to Celtic in 2012.

Forster, 36, currently plays for Tottenham in the Premier League as a back-up goalkeeper to Guglielmo Vicario.

The Englishman caught Messi’s attention in the 2012-13 season, when Celtic produced a stunning Champions League win over the Catalan club.

The Scottish side secured the victory despite Barcelona having 89 per cent of the possession and 23 attempts on goal, when Messi was at his peak.

Forster was very much the star of the show at Parkhead – conjuring up 13 saves – with Messi left blown away by his performance in Glasgow.

‘The performance of Fraser Forster against us was talked about for a long time,’ Messi said about the match.

‘There was one game in Scotland when he was not human, it was the best goalkeeping performance I have seen.

‘When Victor Valdes said that he was leaving Barcelona we even talked about him playing here.’

Forster responded to Messi’s comments in October 2023 be telling Spursplay: ‘It’s nice, isn’t it?

‘It’s impossible to put into words. We’d played them away, I think, two weeks earlier and we lost 2-1 in the last minute and I’d made saves.

‘But the performance we’d put in away from home really carried us into the home one because we knew we’d have the fans with us.

‘But yeah, it was just one of those nights where everything, you know. You make a couple of saves early and you’re like, come on, bring it on. That team as well, if you don’t enjoy playing those games, do you know what I mean?

‘But the noise that night as well – obviously we ended up going 2-0 up and they scored right at the end but it was just, kind of, unbelievable.

‘It was just one of those days when you’re in the zone and everything goes your way. You’re seeing the ball like it’s a gym ball and it’s just amazing.

‘I think that after that night I didn’t sleep after the game, it was just amazing.

‘I’m obviously fortunate to have played in those types of games and like I said before, half of my memories in that game are the atmosphere and the fans and lots of it is that rather than that save or this save. It was just – the occasion.’

Oliver Kahn has named Ronaldo Nazario as the greatest soccer player ever in a snub to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Despite many arguing that Inter Miami star Messi’s triumph in the 2022 World Cup has clinched his place as the sport’s finest, former Bayern Munich and German goalkeeping titan Kahn begs to differ. He recently reminisced about the challenges he faced from fearsome strikers during his career, singling out Brazil icon Ronaldo as the best he ever encountered.

Kahn said: “For me, Ronaldo was much better than Messi and Cristiano. I still consider him the most complete player of all time. The Brazilian was the best player I have ever seen.”

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Kahn had a tough battle with the renowned ‘original Ronaldo’ during the 2002 World Cup final where the striker netted twice against Germany, leading them to their fifth title. Although Messi has since won a World Cup and Cristiano seized the European Championship in 2016, the 55-year-old remains adamant that the Brazilian outranks them both.

Ronaldo Nazario boasts an impressive career with 481 professional games, 309 goals, and 75 assists. His trophy haul includes two Ballon D’or wins, two La Liga titles and two Copa Americas, as well as his World Cup success.

However, unlike Messi who has four Champions League trophies and Cristiano who smashed the record for the most with five, the Brazilian never secured European glory.

Lionel Messi and Inter Miami
COLUMBUS, OHIO – OCTOBER 02: Lionel Messi #10 and Luis Suarez #9 of Inter Miami CF celebrate a goal during the second half against the Columbus Crew at Lower.com Field on October 02, 2024 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images)

Despite Kahn hailing Ronaldo Nazario as the ultimate soccer legend, he still holds that the most frustrating opponent he ever faced off against wasn’t the Brazilian sensation. He found AC Milan’s ace Filippo Inzaghi to be a thorn in his side, noting the persistent challenges he faced from the superstar striker’s knack for finding the net against him.

Reflecting on these formidable opponents, Kahn acknowledged the sheer talent of Ronaldo but emphasized his frustration with Inzaghi. He said: “Ronaldo was the best, but Inzaghi irritated me more. He wasn’t a super champion, but he always scored against me. Always. How annoying.”

While Kahn retired in 2008 and Inzaghi followed suit four years later, Ronaldo’s illustrious career was cut short by injury in 2011. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are still making their mark in the sport and continue to fuel debates about who reigns supreme in the world of soccer – a conversation that shows no signs of dying down anytime soon.

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