Lionel Messi Called James Milner A "Donkey" In Furious Exchange During Barcelona Vs. Liverpool

Posted Monday, May 27, 2019 by sportbible.com

Lionel Messi Called James Milner A

James Milner has revealed that Lionel Messi called him a "donkey" in the tunnel during Liverpool's Champions League fixture against Barcelona.

Milner, who can understand Spanish, had a bust-up with Messi in the first-leg at Camp Nou.

The Barcelona skipper was livid with Milner for his challenge on him. The Liverpool man absolutely clattered the little Argentine who furiously squared up to him.

Image: PA

And it didn't stop there. At the break, Messi continued to give him a piece of his mind while claiming he went in on him because of a nutmeg a few years ago.

"He wasn't happy. He was giving me plenty in Spanish going down the tunnel at half-time as well. He was calling me 'burro'," Milner told Daily Mail.

"It translates as donkey but I think it's also used in Spanish football as a general term for someone who goes around kicking people.

"I asked him if he was all right, but he wasn't having it. I don't think he realised I understood his Spanish.

"He said: 'That foul you did, that's because I nutmegged you.' I left him to it at that point and went into the changing room.

"Look, I've only got admiration for him. He has earned the right to say what he wants.

"The stuff he did in that game, stuff he has done his whole career, it makes him tough to play against. If you try and stop him, you can't be scared of being made to look foolish.

"I've done it. I've been nutmegged by him and it has been viewed a million times. I wasn't the first and I won't be the last. He's an incredible player."

Image: PA

Milner, though, had the last laugh. While Liverpool lost the first leg, his side completed a dramatic comeback in the second leg to book a spot in the Champions League final.

Liverpool face Tottenham in Madrid on June 1. Will the Reds record their sixth European title?