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Lionel Messi has been called 'deceptive and unimaginably rude' for a quiet person by former opponent Jerzy Dudek in his tell-all autobiography.
Dudek was backup to Iker Casillas at Real Madrid for four years and crossed paths with Messi in multiple El Clasico clashes.
The 48-year-old laid into Messi for his conduct in those games, complaining the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner was quick to wind up his teammates alongside Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola.
Dudek explained: "He was deceptive and provocative, the same as Barcelona and Pep Guardiola.
"They were so ready to provoke you and they were able to do it to perfection.
"That hurt Jose Mourinho and the whole team a lot.
"I saw Messi say such rude things to Pepe and [Sergio] Ramos that you would not imagine from such a quiet and seemingly good person."
Messi would regularly clash with Ramos as the respective captains strived to be the best.
The Argentina international scored 26 goals against Madrid in 45 appearances, with his most iconic seeing him present his shirt after a last-minute winner in 2017.
Messi and Ramos are now teammates at Paris Saint-Germain and we still aren't used to it, nearly five months after it was confirmed.
The 34-year-old hasn't shown his best form in Ligue 1 after leaving Barcelona in the summer, scoring just one league goal and providing five assists.
It's in the Champions League Messi has shown his best form, scoring five goals in five games.
During the winter break, Messi tested positive for coronavirus and he hasn't featured for PSG in 2022 so far.
He was videoed at a concert with his wife Antonela Roccuzzo and manager Mauricio Pochettino was unaware until being informed by third parties.
Messi has been accused of disrespecting his coach and not giving him an update on the situation.
Former PSG winger Jerome Rothen told Radio Monte Carlo: “You must always respect your coach, this is what I was taught in Clairefontaine.
“The coach must be above everyone else, it does not matter if it is a star or a youth player -- the boss must be the head of the time.
“Pochettino was not updated as to where Messi was, and that explains a lot of things. This is not a good thing and I think it is very shocking from Messi.”
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Lionel Messi
Daniel Marland