Lionel Messi was a thorn in Real Madrid's side during his time at Barcelona (Image: Getty)
A Real Madrid fan has claimed that he got his club banned from printing Lionel Messi's name on the back of their new jerseys by trying to cheat the system. Spanish YouTuber Grefg shared in a video that he tried to personalise Real Madrid's latest away jersey with 'Messi' as the name on the back.
As he tried to hit “Enter”, an error message appeared: “Sorry, our customization policy does not allow the use of this name”. Grefg was still undeterred and tried a small workaround by spacing out the letters in the box – “MESSI” – which was initially allowed.
However, Real Madrid's online store spotted the order and canceled it, refunding the payment and banning Messi's name in any form on its products. Grefg tried once again to place the order using the spaced-out last name live for his fans on Twitch, but was immediately blocked due to the new policy.
The YouTuber said: “You could say we made them put a new restriction on the website and now they won't let you order it even if you write MESSI with spaces.”
During his legendary run at Barcelona, Messi scored 26 goals and provided 14 assists in games against Real Madrid, winning 20 and lifting 10 Spanish league titles. The forward has been a constant problem for the Madrid side over the years, scoring a hat-trick in a 2007 El Clasico match to earn a 3-3 draw.
The rivalry between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo was at its height when both players were playing for Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively, with the World Cup winner prevailing on numerous occasions. One Clasico that stands out in terms of Messi's dominance over his rivals was an away match at the Bernabeu towards the end of the 2013/14 season.
The rivalry between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo was at its peak during their time at Barcelona and Madrid (Image: Getty)
Messi played a key role in all four goals as Barcelona won 4-3 and eventually won the La Liga title that season. Messi set up midfielder Andrés Iniesta to give Barça the lead before a brace from Karim Benzema turned the game around.
Messi then raced into the box and scored to bring the visitors level just before half-time, with Ronaldo converting his second-half penalty to give Real the lead. However, defender Sergio Ramos was shown a straight red card shortly afterwards and Messi sealed Barca's victory with two penalties of his own.
It's not hard to see, then, why Real Madrid's online store has banned Messi's print on its football shirts – perhaps as a silent act of respect to themselves and Messi's legacy at his former club.
Source: https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1929946/Lionel-Messi-Real-Madrid-Barcelona