Frank Lampard chose to snub former Barcelona star Lionel Messi while naming his toughest opponent over his Chelsea career. The Argentine is arguably the best player to ever grace the game. Yet, the Englishman chose not to pick him. Sounds a little strange, doesn’t it? Instead, the midfielder ended up choosing his teammate over him. The Inter Miami captain was in his prime during those days. No player in the world, except for Ronaldo, was even close to his standards. So Lampard’s choice to snub him does not really make much sense. Although when you hear his answer and the reason, you might have a change of heart.
Frank Lampard snubs Lionel Messi
Talking to former England teammate Gary Neville on the Overlap, the midfielder would name his toughest opponent, He would name Andres Iniesta as the most challenging player to play against. Although what’s more surprising is that Frank Lampard hardly put a thought into it before snubbing Lionel Messi. Chelsea and Barcelona were at their peaks during that era. Both teams would often clash while playing in the UCL. So the midfielder has seen Messi’s brilliance on the field. But he had great words of admiration for only Iniesta and Xavi.
Why Iniesta?
The Englishman would go on to explain his answer in the interview. He would go on to praise the Spaniard for his ability to go head-to-head. At the same time, he would speak highly of his ability to lose his marker. Also, he would compliment Iniesta and Xavi for their chemistry and partnership in the midfield. Frank Lampard choosing to snub Lionel Messi here does make some sense after all. Although we might agree that there may be a slight bias given that he is also a midfielder. Nonetheless, Iniesta was a great player himself. He could have been a Ballon d’Or winner if not for his teammate and the favoritism to forwards.
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