Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has revealed how big an impact Lionel Messi's performances in the 2009 and 2011 Champions League finals had on himself and the rest of his squad.
Few players can match the level of success that Ferdinand achieved during his 12-year spell at Old Trafford. The former United defender made 455 appearances for the Reds and scored eight goals, winning six Premier League titles, a FIFA Club World Cup, two League Cups and a Champions League.
The victory over Chelsea in 2008 will live long in the memories of United fans. The penalty shoot-out in Moscow is the last time the Reds lifted the most coveted trophy in Europe, falling agonisingly short at the final hurdle in both 2009 and 2011.
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Barcelona got the better of United in both finals, as they were led by inspired performances from Messi. Ferdinand has now opened up on the pain of losing both matches and what it was like to come up against the Argentine in such spectacular form.
Speaking on BBC's new documentary 'Messi', he said: "[On the 2009 final in Rome] that one felt we could have and we should have maybe won. When Messi scores the header [to make it 2-0], in the Premier League against some players, or even the Champions League against some players, no disrespect, I'd gamble on their lack of ability to be able to get the ball past me.
"I've done that in the Champions League final and the problem was the person on the ball was Xavi. You've got to know the players you're dealing with and then he put it on a six-pence for Messi who scored an outrageous header, he hasn't scored many of them in his career, but he's done it in the big moment and that separates the good from the great.
"We played against him before and we'd locked him down. But this was a different Messi. This was a Messi with more freedom to run around and be central. Whereas before he was really stuck wide, so you could pin him down a bit - he was still great out wide, but when he was allowed that freedom to be able to move and pop up anywhere and surprise you - unplayable, ridiculous and he was actually better at Wembley.
"I remember standing on the pitch with Scholesy [ Paul Scholes ] and watching them [Barcelona] go and lift a trophy and going 'we just need to get off there' [the pitch] because they just took our soul. Messi was the main ingredient, he was the player that I was meant to be able to get up against, he just played away from you and then all sudden he would turn up, bang. He's just a wonderful footballer.
"You can't put it into words. How good he is, quite a sombering moment this feeling of being deflated and dejected and devastation as your heart's been ripped out on the pitch.
"That's probably as drunk as I've ever been after both of the finals we lost, the party was crazy, because you're drowning your sorrows. You try and break down situations and try and say 'shoulda coulda woulda' but when you've got a player like Messi who makes decisions quicker more decisive and more effective than anybody else, it's almost impossible. Prime-time Leonel Messi is unplayable."
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