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via Imago

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Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley have always been two of the biggest competitors in basketball history. Their competitive nature has often put them up against each other, and their rivalry spans decades and even across sports. So when the time finally came for the two to showcase their talents on the soccer field, one was miles ahead of the other.

The recent signing of Lionel Messi by the MLS has suddenly put soccer at the forefront of US sports. Shaq is a big fan of Lionel Messi, going so far as to share an edit of Messi on his Instagram story. The Diesel shows his prowess again with his feet, six months after embarrassing Charles Barkley live on TV.

Charles Barkley messing with Shaquille O’Neal

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The competitive spirit of both NBA legends spans decades. From going head-to-head in the NBA to debating about various topics on TV, Shaq and Chuck will never let the other one have an easy victory.

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In a recent upload from Taylor Rooks on Twitter, Shaq was seen practicing his shooting skills in a football simulation machine. She appropriately captioned the post: “Did a soccer simulation at work today that included Chuck calling Shaq “Lionel Messed Up”. In the video, Shaq is seen shooting while Charles Barkley is shouting in the background. Barkley keeps repeating “Let’s go Lionel Messed up“. Targeting Shaq’s lack of talent on the football field, Rooks and Barkley couldn’t stop laughing at seeing Shaq try his best. Shaq’s first shot was a powerful one to the top right corner. But his second attempt was a bit unique, as he just rolled the ball on the ground to the post.

This is not Shaq and Barkley’s first attempt at soccer. Chuck must have been praying for Shaq to fail as the duo has had previous competitions against each other in soccer. They even had one on the set of ‘Inside the NBA’, and the results were not what you expected.

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Shaq and Chuck displayed their soccer skills

Charles Barkley can be said to have good hands, being nicknamed the round mound of rebound. His hands, however, didn’t give him much of an advantage when he had to face Shaq in a penalty shootout. Both of them took turns striking and defending the ball against each other. But in the end, the one who came out on top was Shaquille O’Neal.

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It started with Chuck in the post and Shaq taking the shot. The Lakers legend quickly buried it, and Barkley couldn’t even move. Following this, Shaq took his place in the post and gave Barkley the chance to regain his honor. Barkley’s first shot was embarrassing and didn’t even go near the post. He got another shot and kicked it extremely hard at the post. But Shaq’s enormous frame helped him easily defend it, making him the better of the two when it came to soccer. It’s just adding more to their record of Shaq for him to bring up on TV why he will always be better than Charles Barkley.

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