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Sir Alex Ferguson managed to successfully keep Lionel Messi at bay when Manchester United met Barcelona in the semi-finals of the 2007-08 UEFA Champions League. Now Wes Brown, who played both games, has revealed the legendary manager’s exact instructions to stop the amazing Argentinean.
Lionel Messi had scored six goals in the competition that campaign; so the Manchester United manager knew it was necessary to keep the Barcelona ace quiet to win the tie.
Wes Brown was handed that job, one the Englishman managed to carry out with remarkable aplomb. Despite Cristiano Ronaldo's missed penalty, Manchester United secured a goalless draw at the Camp Nou; a 1-0 win at Old Trafford took them through to the final, which they won.
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Speaking to Stadium Astro, the former Manchester United defender spoke about the one simple instruction he was asked to follow, revealing how it helped him stop Lionel Messi in the two games.
“I was actually marking him, so wherever he went, I had to go with him. It was fine, but I just remember the manager saying, ‘just don’t dive in Wes, you’ll be fine, just don’t dive in’. Then if you ever watch that game, the first 10 minutes I dived in, and he took the ball past me. Then after that, I didn't dive in, and he sort of always laid it off to somebody else. That always makes me laugh” reminisced Brown.
Lionel Messi did get his revenge a year later, with Barcelona going on to beat Manchester United in two Champions League finals in the next few years.
Lionel Messi is unbelievable, but Manchester United managed to keep him at bay: Wes Brown
Wes Brown also revealed how Manchester United were high on confidence before the two European games but was quick to acknowledge Lionel Messi’s tremendous abilities with the ball.
“I think at that stage the team was so good, everyone was so confident, not just the defence, the midfield, the strike force we had with Tevez, Rooney, and Ronaldo - everyone was on a high. We were confident going into the game, especially drawing the first one at the Nou Camp, coming back to Old Trafford, we always thought, ‘we know we can do it’” said Brown.
The former Manchester United player continued in this regard:
“Messi, he is unbelievable because he’s got full speed with the ball - not many people can do that. If you do dive in, he just moves it and moves it again, but we managed to keep him at bay” said Brown.
