A former Manchester United star has recalled the exact moment he tried to take on Lionel Messi and what the Barcelona legend did to him on the pitch.
Lionel Messi is widely regarded as one of the best players of all time alongside the likes of Manchester United legend Cristiano Ronaldo, Pele and Diego Maradona.
Despite never playing in the Premier League, the 37-year-old Argentine forward has caused problems for United on more than one occasion during his prolific career.
Former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson witnessed first-hand the devastation that Messi could cause on the pitch during his time under Pep Guardiola at Barcelona.
Messi was the leading talisman for the two Pep Guardiola-led Barcelona teams that beat Sir Alex Ferguson’s United sides in the 2009 and 2011 Champions League finals.
The Barcelona icon has been with current side Inter Miami since 2023 after his spell in France came to an end with Ligue 1 outfit Paris Saint-Germain.
Messi has found massive silverware success across both his legendary playing career at club level and on the international stage with Argentina.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner finally lifted the World Cup trophy in Qatar in 2022 after Argentina beat France in a thrilling final on penalties.
Messi tormented ex-Man Utd man
Lionel Messi faced Manchester United in the 2018-19 Champions League season during Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s reign at Old Trafford.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer replaced Jose Mourinho in 2018 and he led United to a famous 3-1 win against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last 16.
United had lost the first-leg round-of-16 tie 2-0 at Old Trafford to PSG before they travelled to the Parc des Princes and knocked the French side out of the tournament.
Solskjaer’s men were then matched up against Barcelona in the quarter-finals, with the Red Devils suffering a 1-0 defeat at Old Trafford in the first leg in 2019.
United were then blown out of the water in the return leg at the Camp Nou, with Messi scoring a brace for the Spanish side in the 3-0 win.
Phil Jones played in defence for the second-leg quarter-final tie at the Camp Nou and the United defender was left helpless against Messi on the pitch.
“Best player I’ve ever played against was Lionel Messi, he was an absolute joke in that game,” he told the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, as per the Metro.
“I’ve gone to nail him in the middle of the pitch, he’s turned me stuck it through my legs I’ve turned around and stuck it back through my legs!”
Jones on another tough ex-Barcelona star
Former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez was leading the frontline in both of Barcelona’s wins over United in the Champions League in the 2018-19 campaign.
Along with Messi, former United defender Phil Jones named Luis Suarez as one of the toughest opponents he faced on the pitch.
“In the Premier League, I always found it really tough playing against Suarez,” he said.
“He had this knack of, and I’m probably doing him a disrespect, of like playing a one-two off your shins and somehow wriggling out with the ball. Oh, it would drive me insane!
“But he was clever with his movement, he wasn’t absolutely lightning-quick but the short, sharp burst he used to have was really good and it was a struggle playing against Suarez.”