Diego Godin pays tribute to Messi ahead of his international retirement

“I had the misfortune of playing in the same era as him,” Diego Godin said with a smile as he reflected on Lionel Messi, ahead of the Argentine’s international retirement. The former Atlético de Madrid defender paid tribute to one of his greatest rivals, whom he regards as “the best player in history.”

Their long rivalry also left Godin with plenty of memories. “I played against him a million times,” he joked. He recalled being told that he was among the players who had faced Messi most often, and imagined how many stories he could tell. The two met on the pitch between 2004 and 2021.

Godin said he came up against Messi with Uruguay against Argentina, and later with Atlético against Barça. He summed up their head-to-head record plainly: “I have more defeats than victories against him, obviously.” He also expressed enormous respect for the Argentine and called him the greatest player in the history he has experienced. In all, they shared more than 3,400 minutes on the pitch.

The former defender nevertheless prefers to smile about the rivalry: he says he was unlucky to play in the same era as Messi and jokes that he might otherwise have won a few more league titles. He also described the Argentine as a spectacular player and a model of professionalism.