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СпутникиРНSpaceXРоскосмосNASAIn a bid to prevent his team from being overawed by Messi's prodigious talents, Luis revealed that Simeone would only refer to Messi by the nickname.
By ADRIAN BISHOP, SPORTS REPORTER
Published: 05:45 EDT, 1 January 2024 | Updated: 08:47 EDT, 1 January 2024
Filipe Luis revealed that during his time at Atletico Madrid Diego Simeone exclusively referred to Lionel Messi by a nickname intended to belittle the Argentinian.
The Brazilian defender enjoyed two spells at Los Colchoneros as Simeone was faced with the unenviable task of competing for silverware against Barcelona and Real Madrid sides led by Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo respectively.
In the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons alone, Messi scored eight times in four La Liga appearances against Atletico Madrid, with the Argentinian finding himself on the losing side of the fixture just five times out of 30 in his Barcelona career.
In a bid to prevent his team from being overawed by Messi's prodigious talents prior to clashes between the two clubs, Luis revealed that Simeone would only refer to his compatriot by the moniker he had coined.
'Before the matches against Barcelona, Simeone didn't say Messi's name...' Luis told the Charla Podcast, translation via Barca Universal.
Filipe Luis revealed Diego Simeone exclusively referred to Lionel Messi by a nickname during his time at Atletico Madrid
Simeone is said to have referred to Messi as 'The Midget' in a bid to stop his players fearing the Argentine
'He used to call him 'The Midget' so that we would not be afraid of him.'
The rivalry between the clubs also extended on a personal level between the two South Americans.
In 2016, Luis was sent off and handed a three-match ban for dangerous foul on the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, in a game where his teammate Diego Godin was also shown a red card.
Despite their heated clashes on the pitch, Luis previously stated that he had huge admiration for Messi's skills as a player.
After the Argentine missed out on the Ballon d'Or in 2018 Luis said: 'If he is not the best in the world then I do not understand anything.
The two South American stars engaged in a heated rivalry on the pitch during their time in La Liga
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'My rivalry with him is infinite on the field, but my admiration is also infinite.'
Luis departed the Spanish capital in 2019 after amassing a total of 333 appearances in all competitions during his time at the club.
The Brazilian was also part of Atletico's 2013-14 La Liga winning side, and was a losing finalist in the Champions League on two occasions, with Simeone's side coming twice within touching distance of European glory in 2013-14 and 2015-16.