Barcelona icon’s Tartan tours:
Fergie makes no apologies for Barcelona hero’s jibe at Gers
RANGERS...0 BARCELONA...O
OCTOBER 23, 2007
LIONEL MESSI marched through the aftermatch mixed zone with a face like fizz.
He blanked the Scottish media but was engulfed by the Spanish Press, demanding to know how a team with a forward line of Messi, Ronaldinho and Thierry Henry and supplied by Xavi and Andres Iniesta had failed to beat Rangers. Failed to score even, in the Champions League.
The 20-year-old had his reasons all thought out and were nothing to do with Barcelona’s shortcomings. No, it was all Rangers’ fault.
“It’s incredible,” he said. “Rangers didn’t want to play football. They practised anti-football from the first minute and it’s a shame we couldn’t take victory because we created a good number of chances.
“I’m left with a bitter taste in the mouth at not having been able to win the match because we had a decent number of chances. All we lacked was the finish. It’s a real pain playing against teams like that and it’s very hard too.”
Almost 13 years on Barry Ferguson laughs at the memory. And doesn’t take a backward step – unlike that night when that’s all he seems to remember taking.
There’s no apology from the former Rangers captain either. Not when he considers stopping in their tracks the most talented player he’s ever seen as a triumph.
“He was young but we knew all about him, how he was this superkid from Argentina,” the former Ibrox midfielder said. “In the lead up to it, we had seen footage of them and Walter Smith set up a game plan designed to frustrate them. Even at 20 you could see he was going to become the best player in the world.”
Ferguson knows all about the ‘anti-football’ comments but he insists on the night, Messi didn’t do any moaning on the pitch – another reason he admires the little genius, who shook the world this week by demanding to be released by Barca.
He added: “I loved seeing him play from afar but being on the same pitch gives you an even better insight into how good he is technically.
“In terms of stature he was very small and light but so strong and not only in a physical sense.
“Mentally he was incredible. If you booted him – and he took a few dull ones that night – the thing that jumped out of me was that he just got up and got on with it.
“I know afterwards he came out with all the ‘anti-football’ stuff but he didn’t seem that annoyed on the pitch. I just can’t imagine Messi in a different strip. He is Mr Barcelona.
“But football is a strange old game and it looks like he might be moving on.
“If he does, whoever gets him will be signing the best player I have ever seen.”