"Provocative, rude and annoying" - former Real Madrid player goes in on Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi has been criticised for his 'provocative and rude' behaviour on the pitch, although it was of course by a former Real Madrid player.

No matter the fact that it's been over 10 years since Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo started dominating football, and they arguably don't anymore, people are still comparing the pair.

Even Graeme Souness got into the discussion this week, because the Scotsman is clearly on the pulse of football conversations, following Ronaldo's 700th club goal.

The Sky Sports pundit has decided that he's changed his mind on which of the pair is the greatest ever, also deciding that both are better than Diego Maradona ever was.

It's not just the Liverpool legend who has been getting involved in comparing the two men, with another former Liverpool player having his say on how the two behave on the pitch.

Reds icon Jerzy Dudek, who helped win the 2005 Champions League final for the Anfield side, wade in when writing in his autobiography, as quoted by the Daily Mail.

In his book, the Pole wrote about how the pair were and ripped into Messi for how 'rude' he was to two Real Madrid players during El Clasico.

"He was very provocative, as were Barcelona and their manager Pep Guardiola," Dudek said of Messi.

"They were always ready to annoy you and many times they managed it perfectly.

"I’ve seen and listened to Messi saying very rude things to Pepe and [Sergio] Ramos that you can’t even think about. 

"Imagine what can come out of the mouth of a person who seems so calm and friendly."

Messi and Ramos used to clash during Barcelona and Real Madrid games. Image: Alamy

Messi and Ramos were best of enemies during their time in La Liga, on opposing teams, and would often clash during the high pressure games.

The pair are now teammates at PSG, something that certainly blew fans minds when they were first teaming up together at the Parc des Princes.

Of course not everything changes, with Ramos getting sent off last weekend in the draw with Reims, after arguing with the referees.

He could now see himself pick up a ridiculous seven match ban in Ligue 1, if what he said to the referee is deemed bad enough for the punishment.

Messi and Ramos are now teammates. Image: Alamy

Dudek wasn't as complimentary about former Real teammate Ronaldo as one might have expected though, saying he was self-centred.

"Raul was a very arrogant character, but overall, he was a normal guy.

"Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, is very self-centered but he really wants to win.

"Surely he would prefer a 1-0, with a goal of his than a 5-0 without him scoring.

"Other than that, he’s an absolutely normal guy, but I understand he can be perceived differently from the outside."