--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Lionel Messi? When I played against him…" description: "\"Lionel Messi? When I played against him at Sevilla it was always very difficult, so now I'm pleased that we're on the same side. He's just fantastic.\" ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/dani-alves-5180_difficult_lionel-messi-when-i-played-against-him-a_1468526.jpg" --- # Lionel Messi? When I played against him at Sevilla it was… ![“Lionel Messi? When I played against him at Sevilla it was always very difficult, so now I'm pleased that we're on the same side. He's just fantastic.” quote by Dani Alves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/dani-alves-5180_difficult_lionel-messi-when-i-played-against-him-a_1468526.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/dani-alves-5180_difficult_lionel-messi-when-i-played-against-him-a_1468526.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/dani-alves-5180_difficult_lionel-messi-when-i-played-against-him-a_1468526.jpg) > “Lionel Messi? When I played against him at Sevilla it was always very difficult, so now I'm pleased that we're on the same side. He's just fantastic.” [Dani Alves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-alves/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Alves praises Messi’s skill, noting past difficulty playing against him, now glad to be teammates. **In simple terms:** Messi is a fantastic opponent and teammate. Key Takeaway Appreciate former rivals as teammates. Themes sports admiration teamwork Mood admiring celebratory Type sports motivational When to use this quote - training sessions - team building - media interviews Key Concepts elite performance peer respect Questions to Reflect On - What can we learn from former rivals? - How does respect affect team dynamics? A Different Perspective Even great players can clash on the field. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fantastic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantastic/) [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) ## Related quotes > [Maradona and Messi played in different times and in different positions. Messi is much more a striker, Diego was all over the entire pitch.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-simeone/maradona-and-messi-played-in-different-times-and-in-different/) [Diego Simeone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-simeone/) > [Without a doubt my reference point is Dani Alves. I've been an admirer of his ever since I started playing football. I've been following…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joao-cancelo/without-a-doubt-my-reference-point-is-dani-alves-i-ve-been-an-admirer/) [Joao Cancelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joao-cancelo/) > [Could I stop Messi if I played soccer? Probably if I had been playing all my life I could. It's just determination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dillon-brooks/could-i-stop-messi-if-i-played-soccer-probably-if-i-had-been-playing/) [Dillon Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dillon-brooks/) > [Lionel Messi is very difficult to contain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manuel-pellegrini/lionel-messi-is-very-difficult-to-contain/) [Manuel Pellegrini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manuel-pellegrini/) > [Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Luis Suarez all play at a really impressive level and are consistently excellent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gael-monfils/cristiano-ronaldo-lionel-messi-zlatan-ibrahimovic-and-luis-suarez-all/) [Gael Monfils](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gael-monfils/) > [I know I'm not a Lionel Messi or a Cristiano Ronaldo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dries-mertens/i-know-i-m-not-a-lionel-messi-or-a-cristiano-ronaldo/) [Dries Mertens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dries-mertens/) > [I think Ashley Young is world class, Id put him in a bracket with Lionel Messi and Ronaldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-o-neill/i-think-ashley-young-is-world-class-id-put-him-in-a-bracket-with/) [Martin O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-o-neill/) > [Lionel Messi is an excellent teammate, he's a fantastic guy. We lived through a lot together, a lot of games, a lot of goals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pedro/lionel-messi-is-an-excellent-teammate-he-s-a-fantastic-guy-we-lived/) [Pedro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pedro/) > [Nobody is perfect. Even Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo can sometimes look like players from League One.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mousa-dembele/nobody-is-perfect-even-lionel-messi-or-cristiano-ronaldo-can/) [Mousa Dembele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mousa-dembele/) > [Lionel Messi is very much the team player, while Cristiano is very ego-driven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jurgen-klinsmann/lionel-messi-is-very-much-the-team-player-while-cristiano-is-very-ego/) [Jurgen Klinsmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jurgen-klinsmann/) > [You know, I'd actually say Lionel Messi. He's so remarkable, watching him play he's probably still undervalued. When you're scoring five goals in one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-beane/you-know-i-d-actually-say-lionel-messi-he-s-so-remarkable-watching/) [Billy Beane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-beane/) > [Lionel Messi is a wonderful player. Very skillful. Highly intelligent. He is not good in the air.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pel/lionel-messi-is-a-wonderful-player-very-skillful-highly-intelligent/) [Pele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pel/) > [Lionel Messi reminds me of George Best, the way he would run with the ball tight to his foot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-redknapp/lionel-messi-reminds-me-of-george-best-the-way-he-would-run-with-the/) [Harry Redknapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-redknapp/) > [Lionel Messi is the best player ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graeme-souness/lionel-messi-is-the-best-player-ever/) [Graeme Souness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graeme-souness/) > [Unless I play like Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, it'll be hard to give myself 100 out of 100.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/son-heung-min/unless-i-play-like-lionel-messi-or-cristiano-ronaldo-it-ll-be-hard-to/) [Son Heung-min](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/son-heung-min/) ## More by Dani Alves > [Decisions are for the brave, and I am the bravest, deciding to leave Barcelona and Juventus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-alves/decisions-are-for-the-brave-and-i-am-the-bravest-deciding-to-leave/) [Dani Alves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-alves/) > [I respect people with high levels of self-esteem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-alves/i-respect-people-with-high-levels-of-self-esteem/) [Dani Alves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-alves/) > [I like my decisions to be taken carefully, so they don't harm anyone close to me, so that the people close to me are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-alves/i-like-my-decisions-to-be-taken-carefully-so-they-don-t-harm-anyone/) [Dani Alves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-alves/) > [At Brazil, we play as a collective, something that also happens in Barcelona, but not at Real Madrid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-alves/at-brazil-we-play-as-a-collective-something-that-also-happens-in/) [Dani Alves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-alves/) > [Sometimes I think that people are not prepared to listen and discuss truths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-alves/sometimes-i-think-that-people-are-not-prepared-to-listen-and-discuss/) [Dani Alves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-alves/) > [You have to be strong and calm to overcome difficult moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-alves/you-have-to-be-strong-and-calm-to-overcome-difficult-moments/) [Dani Alves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-alves/) > [A national team is a reflection of its country's football, and both Brazil and Argentina have earned respect for what they've achieved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-alves/a-national-team-is-a-reflection-of-its-country-s-football-and-both/) [Dani Alves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-alves/) > [My parents gave me a practical example of what life was about, and I won't forget that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-alves/my-parents-gave-me-a-practical-example-of-what-life-was-about-and-i/) [Dani Alves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-alves/) > [If people only knew how much I respect Cristiano Ronaldo. 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