Why Neil Warnock and Lionel Messi once met at Loftus Road - QPR supporters had to scratch their eyes | OneFootball

Neil Warnock met Lionel Messi and the Barcelona squad when he was in charge of QPR back in 2011.

Neil Warnock started out as a professional footballer in 1967 with Chesterfield, with his most recent managerial role coming last year when he had a short spell in charge of Aberdeen.

So, it’s fair to say that the 76-year-old has seen it all in the game, with Warnock having experienced it at all levels, from non-league to the Premier League in English football.

During that period, he has met many legends of the game, and, somewhat surprisingly, that includes Lionel Messi.

Lionel Messi and Barcelona trained at QPR in 2011

The Argentinian, who is widely regarded as the greatest player to ever play the game, has won the Ballon D’Or a record eight times.

Throughout his career, Messi has collected every major trophy available, with the attacker completing the set by inspiring his country to the World Cup back in 2022.

Obviously, Messi is one of the most famous faces on the planet, and he had an interaction with Warnock over 14 years ago, as shown by the Daily Mail. The photo, which has been shared and viewed many times since, shows Messi alongside Warnock, his two sons and his grandson.

It often had people wondering why Messi was at QPR’s ground, with the R’s in the Championship at that time - which they would go on to win in style.

The answer is straightforward, as he was in London with Barcelona for their Champions League knockout tie at Arsenal, with the Catalan giants using Loftus Road on the day of the game for their last-minute preparations.

Pep Guardiola’s side would actually lose the first leg against the Gunners, but they beat them on aggregate thanks to a 3-1 success at Camp Nou, with Messi scoring twice. And, they would go on to win the competition, with Messi scoring in the final as they overcame Man United at Wembley.

Neil Warnock reflected positively on meeting Pep Guardiola and Lionel Messi

That Barcelona team is in the conversation for the greatest team to play the game, so it’s no surprise that Warnock was delighted to meet Guardiola and Messi, which he has spoken about in the past.

That relationship with Guardiola has continued over the years, with the Man City chief inviting Warnock to their training ground earlier this year.

As well as that, Warnock conducted an interview with Guardiola where he discussed his achievements in the game back in February.

The duo have come up against each other three times in their respective careers, with Guardiola winning on each occasion, which came when Warnock was in charge of Cardiff City.