Few images in La Liga were as intimidating and terrifying as facing Lionel Messi’s Barcelona.

His ball skill was enough to send shivers down any defender’s spine, and after 17 seasons in the Blaugrana uniform, his impact on the team’s success is written in the innumerable records he established with Barcelona.

For over two decades, Spanish teams were made to pay for Messi’s genius, and one of the teams Messi enjoyed tormenting the most was Atletico Madrid.

He scored 32 goals against the Rojiblancos in 43 games, putting him second only to Sevilla FC in that category.

Diego Simeone attempted to instill terror among his players.

Former Atletico Madrid left-back Filipe Luis has now come forward to offer an intriguing anecdote about the Atletico Madrid management before facing off against Messi.

“Simeone did not use Messi’s name before the matches versus Barcelona… He used to refer to him as ‘The Midget’ so we wouldn’t be terrified of him.” Luis mentioned it on the Charla Podcast.

While Simeone has been on the receiving end of many amazing Messi moments, he did his utmost to calm his players down before facing the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner.

One method was to make his stature appear smaller by calling him a “midget.”

Luis’ comment implies Simeone had to use unique tactics to demystify Messi and level the playing field, which was a key technique to give his players a psychological lift.

However, the Argentine manager admired Messi’s abilities and has frequently expressed his admiration for the World Cup winner in public.

And, given Messi’s great record against Atletico, which includes late winners and some spectacular screamers, it’s safe to conclude Simeone’s efforts were mainly futile.