Having played for Deportivo, Valencia and Betis in La Liga, Mexico captain Andres Guardado has had the privilege (or perhaps the horror) of lining up against Barcelona’s Lionel Messi extensively over the past decade.
In fact, the man affectionally known as “Principito” experienced an extremely harrowing moment against La Pulga this past season. Back in late January, Betis was on the receiving end of a 5-0 spanking from Barcelona, with Messi scoring a brace and receiving applause from home supporters inside Estadio Benito Villamarin. Even by Messi's imperious standards, he was on another level that day .
In the 86th minute of that match, Messi dribbled Guardado twice in the space of five seconds. He almost sent the Mexican sprawling to the floor and then he delivered a coupe de grace nutmeg. Guardado’s reaction was priceless.
Speaking recently with Argentine station DeporTV, Guardado revealed what it’s like coming up against the greatest player of all time: “Messi is a benchmark in world football. For me he is the best in history and it will be an honor to tell my grandchildren that I lived in the time of Leo Messi. One of the best things football has given me. How could it be that I have 20 photos with Messi and I don’t have the ball in any of them.”
Here are some examples. The man isn't lying.
You gotta love Guardado’s humility.
The three-time Mexico World Cup representative was been named to El Tri's final 23-man squad for Russia on Monday despite undergoing surgery on his peroneal nerve back on May 17. Guardado didn’t play in Saturday’s match against Scotland, and Erick Gutierrez remains with the squad in case Guardado needs a replacement. However, manager Juan Carlos Osorio has just revealed that the Betis midfielder will play against Denmark on Saturday, easing any concerns over Guardado's availability.
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