Lionel Messi has done it again. Soccer fans have been waiting for the unveiling of the Ballon d’Or and the Argentine prodigy, Messi has clinched his eighth Ballon d’Or. As ‘La Pulga’ took onto the stage to accept his trophy the crowd greeted him with resounding acclamation. The World Cup champion has etched his name in the annals of history by becoming the first and only player to take home the eighth Ballon d’Or.

As the ‘little champ’ stakes his claim on the trophy we are reminded of an instance where Joe Rogan first noticed the football legend when he was in Barcelona. Let’s hop on the sports time machine and look back at what Rogan had to say for the champ.

Joe Rogan’s early recognition of Lionel Messi’s talent

The trophy could not have found more deserving hands, and now he is literally a World Cup winner. As we celebrate the victory of the “G.O.A.T,” this brings to mind the moment when Joe Rogan first noticed the emerging talent of the “Little Champ.”

Joe Rogan had actually lauded the ex-Barcelona star even before he earned the title of ‘G.O.A.T’. It was a while back when Rogan, during one of his podcasts, had a discussion with American stand-up comedian Tom Segura about football (soccer). As they chatted about the sport, they came across a clip of Messi showcasing his incredible dribbling skills. Rogan wasted no time in boldly claiming that Messi would surpass anyone in the game.

“This guy, he’s like 24 or 26., yeah, and he’s this technical wizard, improvisational wizard. Dude, this guy’s a wizard. Look at this, just embarrassing. That’s just wizardry, yeah. That guy moves like a wizard. It’s like, what he’s able to do with that ball, it’s bloody astounding, yeah. And then you have to be so much better than people to do something like that.” Said Joe Rogan.

He further added, “Look at that wizardry that is just fu**king straight-up wizardry yeah it’s amazing like his footwork is just it’s it’s like he’s doing a different thing than them”. It should be noted that there was a time when Rogan denied knowing anything about the Argentinean player.

The time when Joe Rogan didn’t know Lionel Messi

Some years back, during an episode of the Joe Rogan Experience (JRE) podcast, Joe Rogan and Gad Saad had a conversation about Lionel Messi. Back then, Rogan admitted he wasn’t familiar with Messi. However, if we jump to the present day, it’s clear that Rogan not only knows about Messi but has also showered the Argentine football maestro with compliments.

During the conversation, Rogan stated, “He’s an amazing soccer player. I mean, there’s no denying. He is a wizard,”. Rogan further emphasized that after he left PSG, Al Hilal offered him a ton of money to play under their team, However, Messi refused the offer and settled for Inter Miami.

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‘La Pulga’ has had a great career so far and recently Messi has been getting much more prominence after his World Cup victory. What’s your opinion on Lionel Messi? Tell us in the comments below.

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