Kyle Walker opens up: What triggered his brutal ‘Lionel Messi’ dig at Joao Felix in Milan’s recent loss to Napoli in Serie A?

When Kyle Walker was caught on camera confronting teammate Joao Felix during the 2-1 defeat to Napoli, everyone took notice because of one line that echoed louder than the rest: “Nobody here is Messi.” Now, weeks later, he has revealed the full story behind the heated moment—and it’s not quite what everyone thought.

Is the pressure finally boiling over at Milan? When Kyle Walker was caught on camera confronting teammate Joao Felix during the 2-1 defeat to Napoli, the soccer world took notice—not just because of the tension, but because of one line that echoed louder than the rest: “Nobody here is Messi.” Now, weeks later, the 34-year-old England international has revealed the full story behind the heated moment—and it’s not quite what everyone thought.

During that fateful night at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Milan trailed 2-0 at halftime. As the players emerged from the dressing room, a camera picked up an animated conversation between Walker and Felix. The line “pass the ball, nobody here is Messi” went viral—fueling speculation of internal discord and throwing Felix, who was struggling to make an impact, into the spotlight.

For many, it looked like a senior player dressing down a young star. But as the Englishman now explains, the reality was more complex.

What did Kyle Walker say?

Speaking on The Kyle Walker Podcast on BBC Sounds, the veteran full-back clarified the meaning behind his words—and insisted the interaction was far from a personal attack.

“The comment that I said was that ‘no one is Messi’,” Walker explained. “What I was saying to Joao is that at City, I think that’s where we got most of our joy over the last number of years—through a process, and that was with passes.” The veteran emphasized that the conversation was about tactics, not egos.

“It wasn’t me saying to Joao ‘you’re not Messi, pass the ball’. I didn’t just say it to Joao, it was literally ‘let’s make sure we have a process’. And he agreed with me!”

Felix’s response surprised some critics. According to Walker, the Portuguese forward acknowledged the need for more controlled, process-based soccer. “He said we needed to have more passes. It can’t be so much backwards and forwards football. We need to have a bit more control in the game when you’re playing against good teams.”

Message about teamwork

The moment sparked broader commentary from Walker about the state of modern soccer and the myth of individual brilliance. The England international was quick to point out that while players like Lionel Messi are exceptions, most teams succeed through collective effort.

“That’s in every team in the world bar certain individuals who can turn a game on its head when they want to,” he said. “I give them their plaudits—Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr, Mo Salah, Ousmane Dembele… apart from that, you say it’s a team game.”

He then doubled down on his view, saying he had no regrets about what he said—even if the camera caught it. “I didn’t know there was a camera there. But I still wouldn’t have changed anything I did say.”