MotoGP star Marc Márquez: I almost died when I realized Messi knew my name

Marc Márquez, one of the most successful MotoGP racers of all time, recently revealed what it was like to find out Lionel Messi knew his name.

“When Messi greeted me by name, I wanted to die,” the eight time motorcycle racing world champion joked.

Márquez is a native of Cervera, a town in Catalonia, and a lifelong Barcelona fan.

He also saluted tennis star Rafael Nadal alongside the Barcelona ace.

“Nadal is a phenom, but also a great man. The determination he brings forth on the tennis court is fantastic and unique,” he said.

Márquez had previously mentioned the pair when talking about how to improve after an almost 2019 season.

“It would be difficult to improve, but one of my idols is Rafa Nadal and you see him during a match, and ask, ‘what can he improve?’ Or Messi, after he scores a goal, you ask, ‘what can he improve?’ From there I try to put up a mirror to try to be better and learn from mistakes.”