When Teenage Messi TORMENTED Roberto Carlos and Cannavaro

Long before Lionel Messi became football’s dominant force, there were games that hinted at what was coming and this was one of them. Still a teenager, Messi faced a Real Madrid side packed with experience, leadership, and defensive royalty. Roberto Carlos and Fabio Cannavaro were elite defenders, World Cup winners and symbols of footballing authority. But Messi showed no hesitation.

From the first touches, Messi played with a freedom that ignored reputations. He repeatedly isolated Roberto Carlos, cutting inside, accelerating past him, and forcing Madrid’s defense to collapse around him. Ballon d'or winner Fabio Cannavaro stepped in to restore control. Messi faced both Cannavaro and Roberto Carlos at once, froze them with a single feint, and slipped past the pair in one sharp movement, leaving two of the best defenders in the world chasing shadows.

In a later interview, Roberto Carlos admitted that during one of those moments he broke a finger trying to hold Messi back, a small but telling detail of how helpless the situation became. Messi stayed calm throughout, demanding the ball again and again, never speeding up, never forcing anything.

Despite the Barcelona loss, Messi's performance had planted the idea firmly in the minds of those watching closely that Messi would be the best player in the world one day. A teenager had gone toe-to-toe with two of the greatest defenders of their generation and made them look uncomfortable. In hindsight, this was not an upset or an anomaly but an early warning of the player Lionel Messi was becoming.
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Chapters:

00:00 - Pregame
00:16 - 1st Half
00:24 - 1-0 - Raúl
01:18 - Messi vs Roberto Carlos
02:26 - Messi vs Roberto Carlos and Cannavaro
02:41 - Messi's souvenir to Roberto Carlos
06:34 - 2nd Half
07:22 - 2-0 - Van Nistelrooy
08:31 - Messi big chance
10:10 - Full Time & Messi Interview
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Дата на публикация: 12 януари, 2026
Категория: Спорт
Ключови думи: When and messi Carlos Teenage Roberto Cannavaro TORMENTED