Zinedine Zidane, the Real Madrid legend, has told Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi that he is unique in the history of football.
According to the Frenchman, the Argentina captain already knew what to do with the ball before he received it from his teammate.
Zidane and Messi were recently placed together in a room by Adidas as part of a sponsored event, and while the two may have faced each other from different sides of the Real Madrid-Barcelona divide, there was only respect expressed away from the pitch.
“It is just one word: ‘magic’. I mean, Leo and I are not together every day. So today is a very important day for me because I can tell him how much I admire him,” Zidane told Messi.
“And I think it is magic, pure magic. Magic in the sense that before receiving the ball, he already knew what needed to be done. And especially for me, as someone who understands football. Watching you [Messi] on the field, I almost knew what you were going to do, you know? It was like a connection. When I see him doing what he does, I say, ‘That’s it’.
“So that’s what people want to see in football. There are few, but not like him. Very few, well, just only one.”