Former Tottenham centre-back Toby Alderweireld has named Lionel Messi as the toughest opponent he has ever faced.
Alderweireld, who currently represents Belgian First Division A side Royal Antwerp, made his admission in a recent podcast interview, which has been summarised in a viral Twitter thread by user @lapulgafreak.
During their respective careers, Alderweireld and Messi have crossed paths at both club and international level - with the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner enjoying bragging rights more often than not.
It was during a 2018 Champions League group stage match, though, that Alderweireld admitted he couldn't get anywhere near Messi.
What makes Messi so tough to play against?
"I usually read the play on the field and often I succeed. But Messiâ¦ooh. One night at Wembley when we lost 4-2 against Barcelona (with Tottenham) he was unprecedentedâ¦really unprecedented.
Alderweireld tweet on Messi
"You canât get a grip on him. Everything he does, he does it just that little bit faster than you. He does this, then he does that, it goes so fast. I really had a feeling I couldnât do anything against him.
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Alderweireld on how his plan to try and deal with Messi backfired
"You just hope time goes as fast as possible. (Laughs) We got back into the game which was positive and negative. We started attacking more but I had to face him even more one-on-one because there was more space.
"Thatâs the thing, you donât know what heâs going to do. Thatâs the special thing, you canât train for that.
"You try to get in duels with him. He looks like a slender guy so you try to get physical. But heâs not slender at all, if you look at his thighs you thinkâ¦wow. He is so fast. The quality, the ball control, It's not normal.
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Alderweireld weighs in on the Messi v Ronaldo debate
âYeah, I played against Ronaldo many times. Of course, his numbers donât lie, but Messi was the best, because he is simply elusive. You canât get hold of him.â
Video: Alderweireld names Messi as his toughest ever opponent
Even at 35 years of age, Messi is still delivering the goods in top-flight European football. He's started the 2022/23 campaign in fine style for Paris Saint-Germain, but reports suggest he could be in line for a return to his beloved Barcelona next summer.
Time will tell whether Messi is to grace the turf at Camp Nou again as a player. However, whichever team he is playing for, the Argentine superstar remains a formidable opponent for defences across the globe.