John Achterberg ‘Lashes Out’ at Messi After Memorable Defeat in the Champions League

John Achterberg, former Liverpool goalkeeping coach, recently called Lionel Messi a diver in a podcast.

John Achterberg recently revealed his experience in the two-legged semi-finals of the 2018/2019 Champions League against Barcelona.

While he didn’t hesitate to praise the talent of the legendary Lionel Messi, then playing for Blaugrana, the 53-year-old coach also expressed his views on the Argentine superstar’s diving, and was thrilled when Andy Robertson had a strong challenge against Messi.

In the conversation on The Football Historian podcast, John Achterberg said: “When we faced Messi, I thought he was a diver. I was very excited to see Robbo (Andy Robertson) have a strong clash with him in the match, and I thought: ‘Take him down, you bastard!'”

Recalling the iconic semi-final, fans of both teams probably can’t forget the memorable moments created.

In the first leg, Barcelona, playing at Camp Nou, completely overwhelmed their English visitors. Lionel Messi had a brilliant performance with a double, highlighted by a stunning free-kick goal against goalkeeper Alisson Becker. The other goal was scored by Luis Suarez, concluding the first leg with a 3-0 victory for the Catalan team.

Holding a significant advantage, it seemed Messi and his teammates would have an easy game in England. However, Liverpool players and fans turned Anfield into a “cauldron” and created one of the most legendary comebacks.

The Reds had a stellar performance with two doubles from Divock Origi and Georginio Wijnaldum, shattering Barcelona’s Champions League dreams and advancing to their second consecutive final.

In the final, Jurgen Klopp’s team easily defeated fellow English club Tottenham, winning their first Champions League title in 14 years.

Five years after that moment, both Messi and John Achterberg continue to find success on and off the pitch. Messi remains a key player for Inter Miami in MLS, while John Achterberg is working alongside Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard in the Saudi Pro League as Al Ettifaq prepares for the new season.