Dan Patrick: “But Messi takes up so much oxygen when he's out there. Like everybody has, and he got beat up. Now, he's not a flopper. Like, he's battle. He's battle-tested. He stands his ground. He gets knocked down. He gets back up. And, you know, you're going to be pleading your case, of course. You're Messi, but they go after him. They rough him up a little bit.”
Dan Patrick says Lionel Messi's presence on the pitch draws constant attention and physical play from defenders, making him the focal point of every match. He praises Messi's toughness, arguing that rather than flopping, the soccer superstar absorbs hard challenges, gets back to his feet, and continues to compete.