Zinedine Zidane’s response when learning Lionel Messi was leaving Barcelona summed him up

Lionel Messi tormented Real Madrid more than most clubs during his Barcelona days.

In 47 meetings with the Spanish giants, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner found the back of the net on 26 occasions, with another 14 assists for good measure. Therefore, one would assume that anyone associated with Real Madrid would have been glad to have seen the back of Messi when he bid farewell to the Camp Nou in 2021.

However, Zinedine Zidane went public with his confession that he actually wanted Messi to remain in La Liga a year before the Argentine’s eventual exit. At the time of the Frenchman’s comments, Messi’s future was shrouded in serious uncertainty.

Pressed for comment on what he made of the rumours regarding Messi’s next move, Zindane explained: “I don’t know what will happen but we hope not because he is in this league and we want the best in this league.”

The comments were a valuable insight into Zidane’s competitive streak, with the then-Los Blancos boss always eager to test both himself and his side against the very best.

Of course, Messi stuck around for one more year before calling time on his Barcelona stay at the end of his contract. Two years at Paris Saint-Germain followed, where there is an argument to be made that the World Cup winner actually underwhelmed.

Managing 32 goals across 75 appearances for the Ligue 1 titans, the expected PSG faithful were hoping for more from Messi. Many thought the ex-Barcelona star would be the signing to get the club over the line in their hunt for an elusive Champions League title.