Eto'o: Messi played with me, I didn't play with Messi, it's different

Former Barcelona forward Samuel Eto'o has always made his admiration for Lionel Messi clear in various interviews and social media players. 

However, in his most recent interview he wanted to make it clear that Messi played wit him, not the opposite. 

Eto'o has always been a fascinating character, a player that scored decisive goals but who also knew of his worth in the game. 

His ambition had no limited, both personally and collectively, and during his time at Barça he coincided with Messi in the first half of the Argentine's career. 

The Cameroon striker, though, responded quickly when a journalist told him he had "played with Messi." 

"No, no, no," Eto'o quickly replied. "Messi played with me, I didn't play with Messi. In my era, Messi played with me, it's different. Totally different."  

Eto'o didn't explain more but the message was clear. The hierarchy in that period was different and he was part of the old guard, along with Ronaldinho, when Messi first broke through. 

Eto'o was half joking, though, as he's previously spoke about being "blessed" to have been in the same team as Messi.