Netherlands defender, Jurrien Timber, has admitted that coming up against Argentina captain Lionel Messi during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar last year was scary.
Timber will battle Messi on the pitch during the quarterfinals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Messi weaved his magic during the clash between Argentina and Netherlands at Lusail Stadium.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward scored from the penalty spot in a 2-2 regulation time draw, before scoring from the spot again in a 4-3 penalty shootout win.
However, Timber, 21, has now shed more light on the difficulties in facing Messi.
Timber told Ziggo Sport: “Facing [Lionel] Messi in the World Cup? Messi is scary. He receives a bad pass, so you decide to jump to try to take it away from him and put him under pressure immediately, but he’s able to kill a bad pass with one touch. It is unbelievable.”
Messi eventually led Argentina to win the World Cup as they defeated France in the final via a penalty shootout.
The former Barcelona captain also won the Golden Ball award for the best player of the tournament.
