SUMMARY
- Lionel Messi is known for his insane ball control abilities, possesses unique skills every time he steps onto the field.
- Messi has always been regarded as the one to have mastered the art of nutmeg.
Lionel Messi known for his insane ball control abilities, possesses unique skills every time he steps onto the field. When it comes to dribbling the ball, nowhere comes near the eighth-time Ballon d’Or winner.
From his early days at FC Barcelona, Messi has always been regarded as the one to have mastered the art of nutmeg. From Jerome Boateng to James Milner, top professional players across Europe have a history of getting nutmegged by the Argentine genius.
Boateng on Messi’s nutmeg: I’ll get some popcorn and watch the 2014 World Cup finalhttps://www.thepressradio.com/2020/05/07/boateng-on-messis-nutmeg-ill-get-some-popcorn-and-watch-the-2014-world-cup-final/May 7, 2020Boateng on Messi’s nutm… pic.twitter.com/k8mbueQitv
— Thepressradio.com (@thepressradio) May 7, 2020
However, throughout his entire career, Messi has been made the subject of skill quite a few times as well. According to stats, the former PSG sensation has been nutmegged for a total of 5 times.
Let’s take a look at the 5 times when Messi himself got nutmegged by opponents.
Pablo Ibanez
A player who kept on performing his traits in La Liga for the entire decade of the 2000s once ended up doing what is believed to be unthinkable nowadays. Ibanez who played as a centre-back mainly played for Atletico Madrid for 6 years.
Playing for Atletico Madrid, Ibanez met Messi’s Barcelona in a La Liga encounter back in 2009. Ibanez went cheeky as he nutmegged Messi. This was the first time Messi was nutmegged in his professional career.
In an attempt to win the ball from Ibanez who was right near the touchline, Messi came charging in. Ibanez was quick to react, as he subtly flicked the ball through Messi’s legs and then passed it to a teammate to maintain possession of the ball.
Milan Badelj
As solid as a rock, Croatian midfielder, Milan Badelj, was the second one on the list to have nutmegged Lionel Messi. It takes us back to November 2014. It might not be the best of years for Messi in national colors. Following the 2014 FIFA World Cup final loss to Germany, Messi faced another humiliation when he was nutmegged by Badelj during an international friendly against Croatia.
Croatia was slowly trying for a build-up as Badelj in possession of the ball was closely followed by Messi. Badelj went for the trickery as a midfielder would do, as he invited Messi for a press and flicked the ball between his legs to further accelerate.
Adrien Rabiot
This takes us back to the game before La Remontada. On the eve of Paris Saint Germain’s absolute dominating display in the UEFA Champions League where they outclassed Barcelona by four goals to nil, Adrien Rabiot did something that he will tell his grandkids for ages to come.
Adrien Rabiot’s sumptuous nutmeg on Messi last night. Oops! pic.twitter.com/eJRD7tRzZ4
— Liam Canning (@LiamPaulCanning) February 15, 2017
Messi ran from a deeper position, aiming to outmaneuver Blaise Matuidi. However, his attempted pass was intercepted by Marco Verratti, who nudged the ball away in no time. Rabiot got to the loose ball and made a surprising spinning turn, kept his balance, and cleverly guided the ball between Messi’s legs with a cheeky flourish.
Francis Coquelin
During a Copa Del Rey match against Valencia, veteran midfielder Francis Coquelin left Lionel Messi on the floor as he went past him following a cheeky little nutmeg. The former Arsenal midfielder is considered to be the final player to have nutmegged the Argentine.
As Barcelona was trailing the game by 2 goals to nil, Coquelin looked for a counter-attack in the dying stages of the game. However, To snatch the ball away from him, Messi came running in. Coquelin reacted coolly as he got away with a silky touch between the legs of the Argentine genius.
Finally, Messi ended up on the floor as were Barcelona’s hopes of winning the Copa Del Rey. Although Messi found the back of the net in that game, goals from Kevin Gamiero and Rodrigo Moreno see Valencia through to the next round.