Ferdinand reveals what he said to Giggs, Scholes about Messi

Rio Ferdinand confessed to his Manchester United teammates he’d been ’embarrassed’ by Lionel Messi after the Barcelona star led him a merry dance during the 2011 Champions League final.

Barcelona had beaten United 2-0 in Rome two years earlier, but were even more dominant in north London as goals from Pedro, Messi and David Villa put the gloss on a 3-1 scoreline which barely reflected their superiority.

Ferdinand, who had been at fault for Messi’s goal in the 2009 showpiece, endured another torrid evening as he and his regular central defensive partner Nemanja Vidic were overwhelmed by Barca’s forward line, as well as a midfield trio of Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets, all of whom were at the peak of their powers.

‘Messi was a killer,’ he said. ‘Ronaldinho was unreal, the free-flowing magician. ‘But With Messi, he’d do all of that but there was always a goal or an assist at the end of it.’

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‘I was standing there watching them lift the trophy and me, Giggsy and Scholesy were standing together with our hands over our mouths and I said: “I feel embarrassed lads”. He [Messi] took liberties.’