'Lionel Messi scored three goals against me – then he sent me three beers afterwards'

Lionel Messi has scored past countless goalkeepers in his time, and the Inter Miami star has made sure they all remember him with an interesting gift

Wojciech Szczesny knows exactly how many times Lionel Messi has scored past him – as he has bottles of beer as reminders.

Former Juventus and Arsenal man Szczesny recent pitched up at Messi's old stomping ground of Barcelona, having been brought in as emergency cover for Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who is currently out with a knee injury.

Upon his arrival, the Polish star opened up about his experiences facing Messi. He reminisced about the goals he conceded to the ex-Barca man, including a trio of strikes that he will forever remember – thanks to some bottles of beer he received as a gift.

Following Messi’s record-breaking 644th strike for Barcelona in 2020 – which marked the most a player has notched for a single club – the 37-year-old teamed up with Budweiser to send 644 bottles of beer to all 160 goalkeepers he had scored past; one bottle for every goal. Szczesny was one of those infamous recipients.

"I think Leo only scored three [against me]," Szczesny told Mundo Deportivo upon signing for new club Barcelona. "I remember because he only sent me three beers!

"There are probably other players who have scored more against me, but he was the only one I was actually afraid to play against. Because he was that good."

The two have only faced off seven times throughout their careers, with two of Messi’s goals coming during Szczesny's time at Roma, in a 2015 Champions League tie at the Camp Nou.

The third and final strike against him came five years on, in 2020, when Messi and his Barcelona side put Szczesny’s Juventus to the sword in Turin. Interestingly, the Polish shot-stopper also cited the great Argentinian when asked about the best save of his career.

"The most satisfying save was Messi's penalty in the Qatar World Cup," Szczesny added. "But it wasn't the best save in my career - the stadium and the rival made that moment very special for me.”

The two supposedly shared a comedic interaction during their 2022 World Cup tie, when Messi's Argentina prevailed 2-0. The ex-Arsenal man allegedly bet with the world champion that an eventually saved spot-kick wouldn’t be given, after he collided with Messi in the box.

"No, I didn’t [think the penalty would be given]," Szczesny told Norwegian broadcaster TV 2 Sport after the group stage clash, which took place in November 2022.

"We spoke before the penalty and I told him I can bet him €100 that he wasn’t going to give it. So I’ve lost a bet against Messi. I don’t know if that’s allowed at the World Cup.

"I’m probably going to be banned for it. I don’t care right now. I’m not going to pay him either,” Szczesny then joked. “He doesn’t care about €100, come on!"

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