Thursday, 28 September 2017
Lionel Messi is arguably one of the best players of the game in this century, the Argentine has always maintained consistency in punishing opposition players and goalkeepers.
A feat that has seen him being crowned with the prestigious Ballon d'Or award a record five times. While Messi has been a torn in the flesh for most goalkeepers, some of them have proven to be invincible against the Argentine.
Here are four goalkeepers that have somehow managed not to concede against the 'magical' Barcelona forward.
1. Pepe Reina ( 2 clean sheets)
1. Pepe Reina ( 2 clean sheets)
Liverpool knocked Barcelona out on away goals when they beat then holders 2-1 at the Nou Camp in the 2007 last-16, before losing 1-0 at home. Reina was beaten by Deco and Eidur Gudjohnsen but Messi failed to find the back of the net despite playing all 180 minutes.
2. Julio Cesar (2 clean sheets):
Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan produced a masterclass in defence to beat Barcelona 3-2 on aggregate in the 2010 Champions League semi-finals. Pedro and Gerard Pique were on the scoresheet for the Catalans as Messi could not find a way past the extremely well-organised display.
3. Renan Brito Soares (3 clean sheets):
He conceded four in a 4-0 defeat to the Catalans with Valencia in 2008, but Thierry Henry scored a hat-trick, with Dani Alves also netting — the following season he moved on loan to Xerez. Yet, despite Barcelona winning 2-0 and 3-1, Messi failed to find a way past Renan.
4. Sebastian Viera (3 clean sheets):
4. Sebastian Viera (3 clean sheets):
Lost 2-0 with Villarreal in 2006, but the goals were scored by Ronaldinho and Deco before the Yellow Submarine stunned the Catalans with a 2-0 win a year later. And he was part of another winning side when Bojan scored Barcelona's only goal in a 3-1 loss.
