Lionel Messi wanted to kill me' says teammate

Even before Lionel Messi made the move from FC Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain, he and teammate Leandro Paredes were often seen spending time together. Many believed them to be very close, but Paredes revealed that on one occasion, Messi got extremely angry at him.

"He wanted to kill me," said Paredes, while speaking about an incident during the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League round of 16. Messi was still captain of Spanish side FC Barcelona at that time, and Paredes was part of the PSG team that travelled to the Camp Nou.

Messi was understandably upset that day, with PSG thrashing the Blaugrana 4-1. He was not pleased when he received a kick from the PSG midfielder, and he apparently lost his temper after hearing some comments made by Paredes after the foul.

"He got angry, because I had made a comment to my teammates and he heard me, and he got angry," Paredes said, in an interview quoted by Marca.

It was a moment that the midfielder would never forget, especially now that Messi has joined him in the PSG dressing room.

"He was really angry. He f***ed me up. It was bad. He wanted to kill me and I wanted to go home," he said. However, Paredes was happy to learn that Messi is not one to hold a grudge. Whatever conflict took place at the Camp Nou was left there that evening.

"Afterwards I saw him in the national team and he acted as if nothing had happened. He showed me what he is like as a person. The relationship continued as it was. Now, when the conversation comes up, we talk about it and laugh, but he was really angry [then]," added Paredes.

Indeed, before Messi joined PSG last summer, he was seen spending time with Paredes and fellow PSG player Angel di Maria. The pair had been vocal about wanting Messi to join them in Paris, a wish that was eventually granted when Barcelona was unable to renew the Argentine's contract.