Lionel Messi vs Zinedine Zidane: The Only Time the Two Legends Met at a Football Match

• Lionel Messi and Zinedine Zidane met just once in a competitive football match when the Argentine was still a teenager
• The pair did not get more chances to face each other as Zidane retired in 2006 after France’s heartbreak at the World Cup
• Their meeting was in an exciting El Clasico game, which is largely remembered for the performance of one Barcelona legend

Lionel Messi and Zinedine Zidane are two of football’s legends in their own right.

Unfortunately, fans have not been able to see the two players consistently battle each other since their career timelines never overlapped.

Zidane, 51, was in the twilight years of his career when Messi was showing some promise for Barcelona in 2004.

However, there was one iconic game involving Barcelona and Real Madrid, which happened to be the only time Messi and Zidane faced each other in a football match.

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El Clasico, 2005

Real Madrid hosted Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu on November 19, 2005 in a game which Zidane and Messi were in the starting XI for their respective teams.

The Blaugrana, whose front three comprised a young Messi, Samuel Eto’o and Ronaldinho, were simply too good, as they demolished Los Blancos 3-0 on their own turf, as cited on Transfermarkt.

Messi, who was 18 at the time, had a hand in Barca’s opening goal, providing Eto’o with the crucial assist.

It was a tough outing for Real Madrid and Zidane, with the Frenchman being forced into a more defensive role by Barcelona’s unrelenting attacks.

While Messi’s natural talent was evident in that game, the Argentine performances were eclipsed by one of his teammates, who was the best player in the world at the time.

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Ronaldinho was unplayable that day, scoring two goals to seal his side's victory. The Brazilian was so sublime that he earned an ovation from Real Madrid fans—a rarity in the El Clasico.

Zidane had a tough outing, and clips of the game show him struggling to contain Messi. In the 33rd minute, the Frenchman chopped down Messi, earning himself a booking.

Zidane admits love for Messi

Years after the only battle on the football field, Zidane and Messi met again in an iconic meeting set up by Adidas.

The pair had a heart-to-heart in November 2023, with Zidane admitting Messi was ‘magic’ and that he greatly admired the Argentine maestro.

"It is just one word: 'magic'. I mean, Leo and I are not together every day. So today is a very important day for me because I can tell him how much I admire him,” Zizou said per One Football.

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He added, “And especially for me, as someone who understands football. Watching you [Messi] on the field, I almost knew what you were going to do, you know? It was like a connection.”

It’s been 18 years since Zidane retired, although the Frenchman still makes appearances on the pitch during charity matches.

When CR7 and R9 met

Elsewhere, Sports Brief also reported on when Cristiano Ronaldo and Ronaldo Nazario met on the pitch for the first time.

Fans have often compared the two players and a fierce debate on the best goal scorer is not ending anytime soon.

The fact that they played in slightly overlapping eras of the game makes it more challenging to compare them directly.

Because of their overlapping career timelines, the two ‘Ronaldos’ never met in a competitive football match.

They did, however, face each other in a game organized by Luis Figo in 2005.