Ex La Liga goalkeeper reveals ‘Nightmare’ experience against Lionel Messi, claims Cristiano Ronaldo was ‘More enjoyable’ rival

Former La Liga goalkeeper Roberto Jimenez has shared his unsettling experiences of facing Barcelona icon Lionel Messi, describing it as a “nightmare” and recalling how the Argentine left him feeling humiliated on the pitch.

Jimenez, who played for Atlético Madrid, Real Zaragoza, Espanyol, and Malaga during his career, as well as a brief stint at Premier League side West Ham, often found himself up against Messi in Spain’s top flight. The Argentine, an eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, caused him considerable distress by scoring 13 goals against him, including a hat-trick and four doubles.

Roberto, who still keeps special memories from his encounters with Messi, said he never dared to ask the South American for his shirt. Now, looking back, he regrets not doing so, as facing Messi was a badge of honour despite the torment it caused him.

“Messi has been an absolute nightmare for me. I have the shirts of all the great players I have faced and those of my friends, but I never wanted Messi’s. Now I regret it because when time passes, you say, well, ‘I’ve played against him.’ If he drove me crazy, it’s because I was there, too, on the same field as him, but I never asked him for his shirt because he always humiliated me. I didn’t have the strength to go up and ask him for his shirt. He made me feel very bad. He made me feel ashamed.”

Roberto also shared a quirky reminder of his frequent battles with Messi, recalling how a beer brand presented a beer to every goalkeeper Messi scored against. With 13 goals conceded, Roberto proudly possesses 13 beers at home.

“I know how many goals he has scored against me because, I don’t know if you remember or know, that a few years ago a beer brand gave a beer to each goalkeeper that Messi had scored a goal against. So, of course, I have the beers at home. I have 13! I think I’m one of the goalkeepers who has the most. Now, is that good or bad? It’s bad because it’s a big number, but it’s good because obviously it wasn’t in one or two matches, but in many, so I can say that I have faced the best player in the world many times.”

Cristiano Ronaldo: A ‘More Fun’ Opponent

While Messi might have tormented Roberto, he found his encounters with Cristiano Ronaldo to be a more enjoyable experience. Roberto recalls having more opportunities to save against the Portuguese forward, as Ronaldo frequently took on defenders and attempted headers, offering a different type of challenge.

“I had a better time playing with Cristiano. Because with Messi, you only had him in front of you when he was going to score a goal, otherwise he was somewhere else, but I don’t think I made a single save against Messi. It’s tough. Every time I’ve had him in front of me, he scored a goal. Cristiano has been different. He’d take the ball, turn around and head it 25 times.

So I’ve had many more opportunities to save him and in the end that makes the fight between striker and goalkeeper more fun. Obviously, he’s scored goals against me, but I’ve made very good saves against him, too, so it’s been a different relationship.”

(GOAL.COM)