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Lionel Messi never dreamed that one day he would play alongside Pablo Maffeo - the defender the Argentine star considers the most haunted opponent of his career.
Pablo Maffeo, the right-back who plays for Mallorca, may not be a familiar name to many people. But the former Girona defender is a nightmare for the star who just won the 8th Ballon d'Or in his illustrious playing career.
"Girona's Pablo Maffeo was the toughest defender. I never like to complain, but that match was intense," Argentine star Messi admitted to FourFourTwo in 2020. Messi also mentioned Barca's 3-0 win over Girona in La Liga in 2017.
Maffeo, who was on loan from Man City to Girona, followed Messi like a shadow throughout the match and managed to keep Messi quiet in this match. It is worth noting that Maffeo has played for Spain’s U19 and U21 teams but has not yet played for the Spanish national team.
According to Marca, Argentina national team head coach Lionel Scaloni recently spoke with Maffeo. In particular, if all the necessary paperwork can be completed on time, Maffeo will join the Argentina team to participate in the 2026 World Cup qualifying matches this November.
This is not without basis because although the 26-year-old defender was born in Barcelona (Spain), his mother was born in Argentina. In other words, Messi playing alongside the most haunted opponent of his career is completely possible.
According to Bongdaplus