During a recent interview with Goal, Trent Alexander-Arnold revealed the characteristics that make Lionel Messi one of the greats.
Even though Trent Alexander-Arnold already eliminated Lionel Messi from the Champions League two years ago, he still has nothing but admiration for the Argentine. In fact, the English full-back considers Leo to be the best player in the world. Jurgen Klopp made sure his players studied Messi’s every move and behavior before facing him in that semifinal from two years ago.
As a result, Arnold has one of the most detailed understandings of how Messi operates inside the pitch. Even though we keep finding younger players who praise either Leo or Cristiano Ronaldo, there are few who truly understand the technical aspects of their game. As a defensive player, Arnold has a responsibility to fully grasp every concept of Messi’s style of play.
His recent statements on the Barcelona star prove that the Catalan club’s biggest problem lies on a collective level. Blaming Leo for his club’s failures is the easy way to go, but the issues go much deeper than just one player.
Arnold wants to have Messi’s left foot.
During an interview with Goal where he talks about the attributes of players he admires. Trent revealed why Messi is at the top of his wishlist.
“Even if he’s not anywhere near the ball, he’s always in your thought process,” he explains. “You’re trying to play your game, trying to attack, but he’s always in your mind because you know if they can get the ball to him then anything can happen. He can do anything from anywhere on the pitch.
“Even if he’s not looking your way, you’re concentrating because he can see things that you can’t. You have to try and see the whole pitch. He sees things quicker than anyone, he can read what a defender is going to do and just sidestep them as if they’re not even there. A lot of the time, it’s like he’s just playing against mannequins.
“To be honest, he could be in five or six of these categories. For 15 years he’s been doing things that have never been seen before. He doesn’t have a weakness. There’s nothing I haven’t seen him do, and for that reason he’s the best player ever. If I ever see anyone anywhere near him, then I’ll count myself lucky.”
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