Lionel Messi once admitted that Barcelona players “hated” a Premier League club more than bitter rivals Real Madrid – and it was something he “never thought” he would say.
The Argentine was just 18 when he made his feelings known in a 2005 interview with News of the World.
At that time, tensions were high between Barcelona and Chelsea following a dramatic Champions League last-16 match where the Blues staged a memorable comeback at Stamford Bridge.
A week prior, Jose Mourinho had made pointed remarks about referee Anders Frisk after Didier Drogba’s controversial red card in the first leg.
The two matches left a sour taste for Barcelona players, and ahead of their 2006 rematch, a young Messi expressed his strong dislike for Chelsea, stating, “There are players here who hate Chelsea more than Real Madrid. I never thought I’d say that. I also never expected to see anything worse than the Boca and River Plate rivalry or Brazil vs Argentina, but this is it. We’d rather face Arsenal, Manchester United, or anyone else than play Chelsea.”
Despite being fouled by Chelsea’s Asier Del Horno, who was sent off for a brutal tackle, Messi delivered another outstanding performance. An own goal from John Terry and a late goal by Samuel Eto’o secured a first-leg advantage, and Barcelona eliminated Mourinho’s side with a 1-1 draw at Camp Nou. Barcelona ultimately won the Champions League that year, with Juliano Belletti scoring the decisive goal against Arsenal in the final.
Messi later described the 2012 Champions League defeat to Chelsea as one of his biggest regrets at Barcelona.
In 2021, as he announced his departure from the club, he said, “I would have liked to have won another Champions League. We were knocked out in the semi-finals by Liverpool, which kept us from reaching another final. We also faced Chelsea in the semi-finals with Pep [Guardiola], and they stopped us from advancing. I believe there were more opportunities for us to win another Champions League.”
