“You need a machine gun to stop him” - When Barcelona legend made emphatic Lionel Messi claim
In 2010, Barcelona legend Hristo Stoichkov claimed that you would need a machine gun to stop Lionel Messi on the pitch. The legendary Argentine forward was almost 15 years younger and starting to show his immense capabilities at the sport's highest level.
Stoichkov made 255 appearances for the Catalan side, scoring 117 and assisting 29 to help Blaugrana to five LaLiga, two Copa del Rey, and one UEFA Champions League titles. He was particularly impressed by Messi's performance in a dominant 2-0 league win over eternal rivals Real Madrid in April 2010.
Stoichkov told Bulgarian daily newspaper Trud (via Reuters):
"Once they said they can only stop me with a pistol, but today you need a machine gun to stop him."
Lionel Messi scored 47 goals and provided 12 assists in 53 games for Barcelona that season. His performances helped the club win LaLiga and the Club World Cup and earned him the European Golden Boot and Ballon d'Or awards.
“I was lucky that God led me to this place [Barcelona] and I spent my whole life in this wonderful club" - Lionel Messi is thankful for his Blaugrana Career
Lionel Messi recently expressed gratitude for the opportunity to represent Barcelona at club level during his career. The Argentine icon spent over two decades at the Catalan club, becoming the side's greatest player.
Messi made 778 appearances for Blaugrana during his time at the club, scoring 672 goals and providing 303 assists, the most in the club's history. He still remembers his time with the club fondly, and in an interview with 3Cat in November this year, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner said:
“I was lucky that God led me to this place [Barcelona] and I spent my whole life in this wonderful club. Representing the Barcelona first team as we love and want is a great pride for me. I miss the club, the city, the people and all that love."
"As always, I hope we can continue to succeed and make this club bigger and better. I miss the club, the city, the people and all the love. As always, I hope we can continue to succeed and make this club even greater," he added.
Lionel Messi's influence led to one of the club's most successful periods. He helped the Catalan giants win four UEFA Champions League titles, 10 LaLiga titles, and seven Copa del Rey titles.
