Lionel Messi may be the darling of Barcelona and king of the Nou Camp, but he once sought out a Real Madrid star for a shirt swap.
Opponents often clamour to swap shirts with the Argentine, but he was once in their shoes. Messi admits how he rarely seeks out players to swap shirts, but did so with Zinedine Zidane.
The Frenchman, now in charge at the Bernabeu, was in the twilight years of his career when Messi was beginning to blossom. But after years of watching the World Cup winner broadcast his skills at the highest level the Barcelona star could resist asking for his shirt.
“I don’t ask for shirts, I usually swap them, but I asked Zidane once,” Messi told TyC Sport.
“If there is an Argentine I swap it with him, but, unless someone asks me, I’m not asking anyone.”
Messi is eyeing a sixth Ballon d’Or later this year having led Barcelona to another La Liga title.
He was absent for the start of the season, but has hit the ground running with eight goals in his seven matches.
But there are fears Messi may walk away from the Nou Camp after it emerged there was a clause in his contract which allowed him to leave at the end of the season.
Source: Daily Star
Yetunde Adegoke
