S<\/span>It is almost impossible to outdo a force like Lionel Messi, and he has caused many opponents troubles whenever he has the ball at his feet. But his teammates were no different. <\/p>\nFormer Barcelona defender Marton Montoya shared a dressing room with Messi during the golden era of FC Barcelona. Both were La Masa Academy products. However, he revealed that it was “easy” to stop Messi once.<\/p>\n
Messi, unstoppable?<\/h2>\n
According to Transfermarkt records, Marton and Leao played together for five seasons at Rose between 2010 and 2015, winning multiple trophies, including the 2014-15 treble (La Liga, Copa del Rey and UEFA Champions League), and making 46 appearances in all competitions.<\/p>\n
Recently, on March 24, 2026, Montoya announced his retirement from professional football in an interview with journalist Rodrigo Rea, but he also took the opportunity to reflect on his early experiences with the Argentine star at the Catalan club.<\/p>\n
“When you get promoted to the first team, you look at all the superstars, especially Messi, who in my opinion is the best player of all time. He’s a great human being and a phenomenal player,” said the former defender. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Merton continued to praise Lionel, highlighting not only his talent but also his character and humility. “He brightened up my day, helped me out…he was very approachable. After all, he had come up through the youth system and knew what it was like to have to help young players. He was just one of the guys in the team.”<\/p>\n
But in the conversation, he also highlighted what it was like to play against him when he was playing for Valencia or wearing Real Betis colors. And it was never easy. “It’s impossible to take the ball away from him. He goes everywhere,” Montoya said. <\/p>\n
“But let me tell you something, it was ‘easy’ for me when Leo cut inside. I was playing as a full-back and he came from the right side towards the center. There we had help from the midfielders and centre-backs to shift the markings,” he revealed, but also admitted that “the difficult part was when they were one-on-one on the wing.”<\/p>\n
This confession from the former defender is neither the first nor the only confession from his former teammate and rival of Leo, but it only reinforces the legacy of the world champion, who has been recognized for his ball control, change of pace and dribbling ability that makes him unique.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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