Ex-Premier League ace who claimed to be ‘better than Lionel Messi’ and the place he’s now
It’s barely believable that Premier League cult hero Hugo Rodallega was once mentioned in the same breath as Lionel Messi, but that was the case two decades ago
A certified Barclaysman? Yes. But Hugo Rodallega being compared to Lionel Messi is bound to bring a chuckle from even the most loyal Wigan Athletic supporter.
But rewind to 2005 at the South American U20 Championship and it was Rodallega who got one over on Messi. Then just emerging onto the senior scene at Barcelona, the Argentinian icon was tipped to make his first mark for his country.
But Rodallega would beat him to the golden boot with 11 goals which saw Colombia lift the trophy instead. It was then he was reported to have made a claim which would follow him throughout his journeyman career across Mexico, England, Turkey and Brazil.
“I’m better than Messi,” were the words he’d supposedly uttered – which he’s repeatedly insisted was a misquotation in the years since. Speaking to Diario AS in 2023, Rodallega aimed to clarify the situation once and for all.
He said: “I’m not better than Messi. I’m not better than anyone. That day the journalist asked: ‘Do you think you are the best in the tournament?’ And I said to him: ‘I don’t think I am the best in the tournament, but we are first with Colombia, I am a goalscorer and I feel very good. No, I am the best in the tournament, but I don’t think I am better than Messi’.”
It became such a talking point that Rodallega sought out Messi to clear any potential bad blood. He explained: “I spoke to him, I spoke to [Pablo] Zabaleta years later, when we were in England, Zabaleta was at Manchester City and when we faced each other we stayed talking, he asked me and we talked about it.
“I also spoke to Messi in Holland and it was clear that it never happened, but nothing. Messi asked me the same thing and then he told me, ‘don’t pay attention to the press, they’re idiots’.”
While Messi’s career trajectory soared, Rodallega carved out his own path. His goal-every-other-game ratio for Liga MX side Necaxa led to Wigan Athletic snapping him up for £4.5million in January 2009.
He soon became a cult hero, joining the group now known as the Barclaysmen – those who shone in the then-sponsored Barclays Premier League from the mid-noughties to the early 2010s. His crucial goals, including a match-winning strike against Stoke City on the final day of the 2010/11 season, were instrumental in keeping Wigan in the top flight.
After leaving for Fulham in the summer of 2012, Rodallega’s impact in London wasn’t quite as significant. Like many seasoned pros seeking new pastures, he ventured to Turkey, where he enjoyed three more fruitful stints.
Even at 39, Rodallega continues to make his mark on the pitch in his native Colombia. Last year, he scored 18 goals and provided eight assists in 48 games for Santa Fe in the Colombian top flight, and he kicked off the 2025 campaign with back-to-back 90 minutes despite nearing his 40th birthday.
