Lionel Messi made a surprising admission in 2015 about the greatest goalkeeping performance he has seen, describing it as "not human".
Praising current Tottenham Hotspur reserve goalkeeper Fraser Forster for his display between the sticks for Celtic against Barcelona in a 2012/13 Champions League tie, Lionel Messi highlighted just how difficult he found facing the Englishman.
Keeping just 27 per cent possession, Celtic recorded a famous victory against the Spanish giants, with Forster managing to limit Messi and Co. to just one goal as they netted twice themselves. Messi even revealed that, when Victor Valdes left Barca in 2014, Forster emerged as a potential replacement.
“The performance of Fraser Forster against us was talked about for a long time," Messi said.
"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.”
Forster, meanwhile, clearly revelled in the Celtic Park atmosphere that night. Making 13 saves and having your performances lauded as "not human" by one of the greatest players in history certainly helps.
"You make a couple of saves early and you’re like, 'come on, bring it on'," Forster told the Off the Shelf Podcast. "That [Barca] team as well [was incredible] - if you don’t enjoy playing those games, when will you?
“But the noise that night – obviously we went 2-0 up and they scored right at the end, but it was just unbelievable. It was just one of those days when you’re in the zone and everything goes your way.
“I didn’t sleep after the game, it was just amazing. I’m obviously fortunate to have played in those types of games, and half of my memories in that game are the atmosphere and the fans, rather than that save or this save."
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