Real Madrid star Federico Valverde has offered a bold response to the age-old question of how to stop the formidable Lionel Messi. Valverde, who frequently faced Messi during his Barcelona career and later when the Argentine played for Paris Saint-Germain, spoke about the challenge ahead of a World Cup qualifier between Uruguay and Argentina.

In a recent interview before the match, Valverde admitted, “I don’t know how to do it either. I didn’t have to stop him myself.” Drawing from past experiences facing Messi in Alcatel matches, Valverde suggested that a collective effort, symbolized by a strong defense, could be a key weapon against the prolific forward. He emphasized, “Messi is one of the best players in the world, so you have to respect him.”

The mutual respect between Valverde and Messi is evident, especially as they often meet on both national team and club levels. Messi, who recently secured his record eighth Ballon d’Or, remains humble about his standing in football history, stating, “I don’t know if I am the best player in the history of football or not. If I’m one of the best, that’s a good surprise.”

Valverde revealed he could never stop Messi 😅 pic.twitter.com/dWvkF0FrAR

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) November 14, 2023

Here is the video of some skills of Federico Valverde.

Federico Valverde

This season he played in total 13 times for 1031 minutes for La Liga.

Federico Valverde scored 1 goal for Real Madrid. He procured two assists. He received no yellow cards and no red cards.

His team is currently 2nd in La Liga. In the last match Real Madrid won 5-1 against Valencia.

Real Madrid performance and stats

Real Madrid is currently 2nd in the La Liga with 32 points.

In the last 13 games, it has won 10 times, drawn twice, and lost once. In its last match, Real Madrid won 5-1 against Valencia.​​

It has a positive goal difference after scoring 28 goals and conceding 9.​

Lionel Messi

This season he played in total 6 times for 372 minutes for Major League Soccer.

Lionel Messi scored 1 goal for Inter Miami. He procured two assists. He received no yellow cards and no red cards.

His team is currently 14th in Major League Soccer. In the last match Inter Miami lost 1-0 against Charlotte.

Inter Miami performance and stats

Inter Miami is currently 14th in the Major League Soccer with 34 points.

In the last 34 games, it has won 9 times, drawn 7 times, and lost 18 times. In its last match, Inter Miami lost 1-0 against Charlotte.​​

It has a negative goal difference after scoring 41 goals and conceding 54.​

Embed from Getty Images