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Messi: Barcelona rooting against Real Madrid in Champions League final

Toru Hanai / REUTERS

To the surprise of no one, Lionel Messi and the city of Barcelona won't be cheering for rivals Real Madrid during the Champions League final.

Instead, the Argentine superstar stopped short of backing Atletico Madrid ahead of the May 28 final in Milan as he heaped praise on manager Diego Simeone's men.

"Obviously for the Barcelona people they want Real Madrid to lose, just like it is on the other side with us," Messi revealed to ESPN Deportes, as translated by CBS.

"What Atletico Madrid have done is great, it is not easy to beat them. They are a very tough opponent and (Diego) Simeone deserves credit for their performances," Messi said.

Although his comments will surely ruffle the feathers of Real supporters, it's not uncommon for players to root for the team that knocked their club out of a competition, which is was Atletico accomplished with its 3-2 aggregate win over Barca in the quarter-finals stage of the Champions League.

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