Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos were once fierce rivals on opposing sides of a Clasico divide in Spain, and it appears as though those days at Barcelona and Real Madrid have not been entirely forgotten following an exchange of words in Paris Saint-Germain training. The pair are currently in Japan as PSG step up their preparations for the 2022-23 campaign.
Messi skipped past a World Cup-winning defender during an exercise ahead of a friendly clash with Gamba Osaka, but he was caught after showing the Spaniard a clean pair of heels and appeared to let the former Real captain know that he was less than impressed after lashing the ball into the bottom corner.
Watch Messi snap at Ramos in PSG training
The pair were caught on camera during an open training session, with Ramos catching Messi with an outstretched boot after being unable to prevent the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner from slipping beyond him.
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The mercurial Argentine suffered no lasting damage at the hands of a club colleague, with his quick feet allowing him to avoid heavy contact before drilling into the back of the net.
Indeed, Messi also bounced back to net his second goal in four pre-season outings as PSG thrashed Gamba Osaka 6-2 on Monday.
Next Match
The hope is that a spark will be found by an all-time great heading into his second campaign with the reigning Ligue 1 champions.
Messi only managed 11 efforts through all competitions last season, with just six of those strikes coming in the French top-flight, but he is under contract for another 12 months and will believe that there is much more to come – if Ramos can avoid sending him to the treatment room.