Barcelona star reveals conflict with 'angry' Lionel Messi | OneFootball

Barcelona captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen revealed that Lionel Messi deliberately fired shots into his face on multiple occasions when he was "a bit angry" with the German goalkeeper.

Ter Stegen was at pains to stress that the pair had a good working relationship during their seven shared years in Catalonia, instead citing this burst of frustration as an example of Messi's unrivalled technical ability.

"We had moments where things didn't work out between us because he was upset with me and I was upset with him," Ter Stegen told the German podcast Phrasenmaier. "I think he is probably the only player who, if he wants to shoot you in the face, can actually hit the target. He did it several times when he was a bit angry."

The former Borussia Monchengladbach goalkeeper joined Barcelona as a highly rated 22-year-old in 2014, but was forced to play second fiddle to Claudio Bravo during his first season in Spain. More than a decade later, Ter Stegen is one of the club's captains and serves as an influential figure in the dressing room.

Yet, no player can replicate the sway that Messi had over proceedings at Barcelona. A scarcely outspoken character, the Argentine's authority was established through his technical prowess.

"He is super impressive on the pitch," Ter Stegen gushed, "he sees situations that no one else can with such ease that will never be seen again, I'm 100% sure of that. He has the ability that if he wants to make you look bad, he does it with such ease, and with a pass or a shot that you'll say afterwards that it was impossible.

"We never had arguments in the sense that you'd say we didn't get along at all. But we had moments, and that's fine. We were in a locker room together for a long time and I always had a lot of respect for him. He certainly accepted and respected my opinions too. You also learn from him like the way he leads the team. Whether that's my style or not, it was interesting to see."