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.
At just 18 years old, the Argentine publicly expressed his feelings about Chelsea during a 2005 interview with the *News of the World*. At that time, tensions were high between Barcelona and Chelsea after the Blues staged a memorable comeback at Stamford Bridge in a dramatic Champions League last-16 match.
A week prior, Jose Mourinho had made pointed remarks about referee Anders Frisk following Didier Drogba’s controversial red card in the first leg. This two-legged tie left Barcelona feeling aggrieved, and ahead of their 2006 rematch, a young Messi spoke out against Chelsea, stating, “There are players here who hate Chelsea more than Real Madrid.” He added, “I never thought I would say that. I never thought anything could rival the Boca and River Plate rivalry or Brazil vs Argentina, but this does.”
Messi expressed a preference to face Arsenal, Manchester United, or any other team rather than Chelsea. He went on to deliver an outstanding performance despite being taken down by Chelsea’s Asier Del Horno, who was sent off for a harsh tackle on him.
Barcelona gained a first-leg advantage with an own goal from John Terry and a late goal from Samuel Eto’o, ultimately eliminating Mourinho’s side after a 1-1 draw at Camp Nou. That year, Barca went on to win the Champions League, clinching the title with a late winner from Juliano Belletti against Arsenal at the Stade de France.
Messi later described the 2012 Champions League defeat to Chelsea as one of his biggest regrets during his time at Barcelona. In 2021, when he announced his departure from the club, he reflected, “I would have liked to have tried to win another Champions League. We were eliminated in the semi-finals by Liverpool, which kept us from another final. We reached the semi-final against Chelsea under Pep [Guardiola], and they stopped us from getting to another final. I believe there were other opportunities where we could have won another Champions League.”
