Barcelona captain Lionel Messi “goes out to assassinate the goalkeepers” when he takes to the pitch, says Willy Caballero, who admits that his fellow Argentine is forever on a “mission” to find the target.
Chelsea keeper Caballero has lined up against and alongside Messi down the years and is well placed to pass judgement on what makes the mercurial 33-year-old so special.
Caballero, who has formed part of Argentina national squads and turned out in La Liga over the course of his career, told 90min: “Facing Messi, I had to suffer.
“He goes out to assassinate the goalkeepers.
“The goalkeepers, the defenders – he’s going to kill [them]. And killing means scoring as many goals as possible.
“He doesn’t care if you know him, if you’re Argentine or if you’re a friend. He’ll talk to you afterwards, greet you and everything else, but in those 90 minutes he’s on a mission to hit you with goals.”