Interviewer: Mario, what’s the craziest thing you’ve ever seen Lionel Messi do on a football pitch?
Mario Balotelli: Bro… Messi is different. Seriously, he’s different.
Interviewer: Different how?
Balotelli: We played Barcelona when I was at Milan. In the first leg, we won 2-0. We were feeling good, confident. The coaches spent the entire week preparing for the second game. Every meeting, every training session, every tactical discussion was about one thing: stopping Messi.
Interviewer: And did it work?
Balotelli: (laughs) Not at all. After three minutes at Camp Nou, it was already 2-0. Two goals. Messi. Just like that.
Interviewer: Three minutes?
Balotelli: Three minutes. We walked onto the pitch thinking, “Come on, we’re Milan. We have a two-goal advantage. We can do this.” Then Messi touched the ball a few times and suddenly everything changed.
Interviewer: What was going through your mind?
Balotelli: Honestly? We were looking at each other thinking, “This isn’t real.” The whole week we spent preparing felt useless. The match finished 4-0 and Messi was everywhere. He controlled the game, created chances, scored, made everything happen.
Interviewer: So that’s the best version of Messi you’ve seen?
Balotelli: Without question. When Messi was between 17 and 30 years old, if he decided he wanted to change a game, there was nothing you could do. Not defenders, not tactics, not coaches. Nothing.
Interviewer: Nothing at all?
Balotelli: Nothing. That’s why I always say Messi is different. Some players can win games. Messi could decide the game was over whenever he wanted.
Messi virou o maior artilheiro da história das Copas.
Só lembro do radialista puto com o Dybala dizendo que era difícil jogar com ele KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK