Messi Names Childhood Idols And Best British Player He's Faced

Given the innumerable accolades he's acquired over his career, it should come as no surprise that Lionel Messi's idols are two of the finest footballers Argentina have ever produced. And the best Britsh opponent he's faced isn't exactly a bad choice, either.

Speaking during a recent interview with Coach Magazine, the five time Ballon d'Or winner revealed that his childhood heroes were a pair of Argentine number 10s; Diego Maradona (obviously) and mercurial former Valencia playmaker Pablo Aimar.

"Of course I admired Maradona, he was a real inspiration for me. Also when Pablo Aimar started to break through, I used to really enjoy watching him play."

Messi shows his own teammates as little mercy as he does his opponents...

Credit: FC Barcelona

When the conversation shifted away from his compatriots, Messi explained how Manchester United and England captain Wayne Rooney was the finest British opponent he'd ever come up against, having enjoyed two Champions League final victories over the former Everton man and suffering one semi-final loss, although the pair have never come up against each other in a competitive international match.

"Over the years we have faced many British teams in Europe and come up against many good players, but I have always had a big respect for Wayne Rooney. He has played at the highest level for many years and is one of the special players of the generation."

Messi Rooney

Messi and his best ever British opponent. Image: PA

Messi's opinion of the England captain is at odds with how he is currently viewed in the Premier League, with Jose Mourinho keeping his skipper on the bench for most of the season, with the general consensus among a lot of English fans being that Rooney is past his best and should have been dropped sooner than he was. Despite some of the negativity towards him, the United captain has still managed to equal Sir Bobby Charlton's goal scoring record for the Red Devils, and will surely pass it to claim the record as his own in the coming weeks.

(H/T Coach Magazine)

Topics: Football, Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona, Argentina, Wayne Rooney

Joe Baiamonte

Northerner. Assistant Editor of SPORTbible. Studied Journalism and Broadcasting in a portakabin on a car park of Salford University for three years. Believes football peaked with Serie A in the '90s and strong-arms pro wrestling references into as many articles as possible. Neymar once took 50 euros off me during a game of poker.

@JoeBaia