“That destroyed me mentally” – When AC Milan legend admitted to being torn apart by Lionel Messi on the pitch

In a 2021 interview, Italy and AC Milan legend Alessandro Nesta admitted that Barcelona icon Lionel Messi destroyed his morale in the 2011-12 UEFA Champions League.

Milan and Barcelona met four times in the competition that season, twice in the group stage and twice in the quarterfinals. Barcelona, spearheaded by Messi, came out on top in two games and drew the other two, with the Argentine scoring thrice and claiming two assists in four outings.

In an interview with Calciatori Brutti, Nesta recalled how exhausted Messi made him during their meetings that season. The Italian legend, who was 35 when he faced Messi, admitted that the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner went past him countless times and made him feel older than he was.

“In the 10th minute, I kicked him (Messi) and fell to the ground exhausted, seeing stars,” Nesta said. “Then he held out his hand to help me up. I was on the ground, and when I opened my eyes two seconds later, I saw his face and his hand as he wanted to help me up. That destroyed me mentally.”

Nesta concluded:

“What depressed me was that he had got away 10 times in the first 10 minutes, and I was starting to feel 37.”

Messi scored a whopping 73 goals in 60 appearances for Barcelona that season. Surprisingly, Barca missed out on both the Champions League and La Liga titles that term, with Bayern Munich clinching the former and Real Madrid the latter.

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Lionel Messi’s PSG beats Cristiano Ronaldo’s Riyadh All-Stars XI in Riyadh Seasons Cup friendly

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo squared off for possibly the final time at the King Fahd International Stadium in Saudi Arabia on Thursday (January 19) as PSG faced the Riyadh All-Star. Ronaldo captained the Riyadh All-Star XI, which featured players from Al Hilal and the Portuguese’s new club Al Nassr. The game ended 5-4 in PSG’s favor, with both Messi and Ronaldo getting on the scoresheet.

Messi opened the scoring for PSG just three minutes into the game, applying a first-time left-footed finish. Ronaldo won and converted a penalty in the 34th minute to restore parity, wildly celebrating his first goal in Saudi Arabia. Juan Bernat was sent off for a foul on Salem Al Dawsari, but ten-man PSG still managed to get ahead, courtesy of Marquinhos’ 43rd-minute goal.

Neymar missed a penalty in the 45th minute, but Ronaldo converted from close range to restore parity once again in first half added time. Sergio Ramos scored in the 53rd minute but saw it cancelled out by Hyun-Soo Jang’s strike only three minutes later.

At the hour mark, Mbappe put away a penalty to put PSG 4-3 up before substitute Hugo Ekitike doubled the visitors’ advantage in the 78th minute. Riyadh All-Star substitute Anderson Talisca scored the final and possibly best goal of the game in injury time, finding the back of the net with an outside-the-box strike. Ronaldo, courtesy of his excellent brace, was chosen the Man of the Match.