Barcelona goalkeeper, Marc-Andre Ter Stegen has reportedly revealed that Lionel Messi intentionally fired shots into his face when he was angry with him.
Ter Stegen was at pains to emphasize that both of them had an excellent working relationship during their seven shared years in Catalonia, instead highlighting the moment of fury as an example of Messi’s unmatched technical ability.
“We had moments where things didn’t work out between us because he was upset with me and I was upset with him,” Ter Stegen told the German podcast Phrasenmaier as echoed by 90min.
“I think he is probably the only player who, if he wants to shoot you in the face, can actually hit the target. He did it several times when he was a bit angry.”
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The former Borussia Monchengladbach goalkeeper joined Barcelona as a highly touted 22-year-old in 2014, but was forced to play second fiddle to Claudio Bravo during his debut season in Spain.
More than a decade later, Ter Stegen is one of the club’s captains and acts as an influential figure in the dressing room.
However, no player can equal Messi’s influence over Barcelona’s affairs. The Argentine was a rarely spoken individual whose technical ability established his influence.
“He is super impressive on the pitch,” Ter Stegen gushed, “he sees situations that no one else can with such ease that will never be seen again, I’m 100% sure of that.
“He has the ability that if he wants to make you look bad, he does it with such ease, and with a pass or a shot that you’ll say afterwards that it was impossible.
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