10 iconic images from Lionel Messi's career

7) The birth of the False 9

In May 2009, Pep Guardiola worked day and night to find a chink in Real Madrid’s armour ahead of El Clasico and one night he found his answer. That flash of inspiration saw Guardiola pick up the phone and ask Messi to come meet him, showing him the area between Real’s defence and midfield that he dubbed the Messi Zone.

When the match began, Messi would start on the wing while Samuel Eto’o led the line. But 10 minutes in, Eto’o would drift to the wing while Messi would drift into the space Guardiola had shown him.

Real’s defenders had no idea what to do next. Step up and desert Iker Casillas or sit deep? Messi ran riot and Barcelona won 6-2 – a humiliating annihilation for Los Blancos at the Bernabeu.

It was this game that gave birth to the False Nine role perfected by Guardiola and Messi.