Lionel Messi once named the stadium with the best atmosphere he has ever played in during his legendary career. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner has been fortunate enough to play in most of the best footballing arenas around the world and was able to call the famous Camp Nou his home for most of his playing days.
As one of the greatest players in history, Messi is no stranger to hostile environments, where fans attempt to unsettle him and influence the game. Yet, he identified one stadium that stands out above all others – one he claims every player wants to play in.
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Messi Named Celtic Park as the Best Atmosphere He’s Played in
The forward played against the Scottish giants three times during his career
As revealed in an article published on Celtic’s website back in 2015, Messi stated that the Scottish giants’ home stands out as the best atmosphere he has ever experienced as a player. The 37-year-old visited Celtic Park on three separate occasions in the Champions League and explained what made it such a special place to play:
“The games against Celtic were special and I want to remember them. Celtic Park is a tough place to go to. It’s never easy to get a result there.
“We know we would get a tough game if we drew them in the Champions League, but everybody involved in those Barcelona v Celtic games wants to go and play there again.
“It is the best atmosphere in Europe and we all want to experience that again.”
Although Messi managed to win twice in Glasgow, the most famous of the three trips is undoubtedly when Celtic defied expectations and pulled off one of the most historic victories in the club’s history in 2012. Despite managing just 11% possession and having five shots to Barcelona’s 23, goals from Victor Wanyama and debutant Tony Watt was enough to give Neil Lennon’s side an unprecedented win.
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Messi Praised Fraser Forster in 2012 Defeat
The England goalkeeper produced a heroic display
The man of the hour that famous night was Celtic shot-stopper Fraser Forster, who emerged as one of the country’s finest young talents after an incredible display. The 6ft 7in giant made 13 saves to deny a rampant Barcelona, conceding only in the dying embers of the game.
As per talkSPORT, Messi admitted in the years after that players continued to speak in disbelief about what the current Tottenham man was able to produce that night, with some even suggesting that Forster should’ve replaced Victor Valdes when he left the club. The Argentine told reporters:
“The performance of Fraser Forster against us was talked about for a long time. There was one game in Scotland when he was not human, it was the best goalkeeping performance I have seen.
“When Victor Valdes said that he was leaving Barcelona we even talked about him playing here.”
Other Greats Also Loved Celtic Atmosphere
Cristiano Ronaldo and Sir Alex Ferguson were in awe
As well as Messi, Manchester United icons Cristiano Ronaldo, Nemanja Vidic and Sir Alex Ferguson have also both been blown away by the brilliant energy at Celtic Park on match days. The Portuguese icons once remarked: “The Celtic fans are incredible. It is always great to play there.”
Adding to this, Ferguson said: “Parkhead is the best I’ve experienced. The players were just talking about that the other day – Vidic and Ronaldo were saying it’s the best atmosphere they had ever played in. Credit to the supporters for that because they don’t half raise the roof. It’s obvious the Celtic players react to it given the results they’ve had. You are going to have to run that extra yard or you will soon be found out by them.”
Endorsements don’t get much better than that, with one of the game’s greatest managers speaking so highly of the Scottish venue. People could argue that being from Scotland himself, Ferguson could be a little biased but with the likes of Messi and Ronaldo also feeling the same way, Celtic Park’s iconic status cannot be challenged.
All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt – accurate as of 03/11/2024.
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