Roberto Carlos has played alongside some of the greatest players of all-time, with the Brazilian legend of course facing off against Inter Miami’s now captain Lionel Messi.
The Argentine international broke through at FC Barcelona in the final years of the defender’s time at Real Madrid, with Carlos leaving just as the Messi/Cristiano Ronaldo era of La Liga was about to kick off in a big way.
One of the most lauded Brazilians in the 21st-century, Carlos is best remembered for his physics-defining free-kicks and for being one of the most attacking fullbacks the game of soccer has ever seen, pathing the way for others to flourish.
And the defender has now shared what it was like taking on Messi for the first time.
Carlos hailed Messi as ‘the new Maradona’ after first encounter
Speaking to 90min, the former Madrid and Inter Milan star detailed how impressed he was with Messi after facing the former Barcelona forward for the first time, with Carlos comparing the Argentine to Diego Maradona.
With Messi compared to the soccer legend ever since breaking through at Barcelona, it’s no surprise that Carlos likened the Inter Miami attacker to Maradona, with the 37-year-old arguably now surpassing the sporting great.
Carlos said when asked about facing Messi for the first time: “When Messi dribbled past Cannavaro and me and ran over us and the match ended, I turned to Cannavaro and said: ‘My God, who is this player? He’s the new Maradona.’
“I’m lucky, I didn’t have much time left before I retired, how would the next generation of defenders cope? They’ll really struggle with him. I knew he’d be the best player in the world. In the future, he would win everything and I’m happy because I watched him more than I played against him.”
Messi’s greatness now transcends entire generations
Carlos and Messi are two greats in soccer that both faced each other yet come from different generations, which is why the defender’s comments on the Inter Miami captain are so incredible to hear.
The Argentine international is regarded as the greatest of all time having won the most titles out of anyone in history as well as a record-breaking eight Ballon d’Ors.
And for Messi, the forward’s greatness transcends entire generations of soccer, with the Inter Miami star set to leave a sizeable gap once he hangs up his boots in the coming years.