L. Messi announced his retirement from international football, and Giggs and Ferdinand discussed their encounters with L. Messi in a podcast.

For those who never had a chance to play against L. Messi, we both did. We both played against him. Now that he's retired from international football, it's time for us to tell everyone what it was like to play against L. Messi. Why don't you start? Because my experience wasn't that pleasant.

It was really difficult. Actually, the first few times I played against him, it was manageable. Because back then he was on the right wing, and I remember Evra defending him very well. Later he got more freedom and could move around the field as he pleased. In the Champions League final at Wembley, I played in midfield, so he was near me. He came into my zone.

I thought I'd go at him physically right from the start, but he just bounced off me. I tried to tackle hard, but he didn't even flinch. He just dribbled away.

People know the level of him and Cristiano Ronaldo, their ability, their goals and their consistency, but people also forget that these players rarely suffered injuries and rarely missed matches. Athletes two or three decades ago were different from today; tackles were rougher back then, but they still got back up after a foul. Not missing matches and not getting injured—we'll never see that level again. You can't stop L. Messi with your hands because he's short and just slips under them. He's too fast,

he can change direction at will. His acceleration is the most outstanding I've ever seen, mainly in short bursts—the best I've ever witnessed. You think you've cornered him, but he suddenly escapes. It was a real nightmare, and for me it was obviously more difficult.

He knew exactly where to go, and no one could contain him. Like in the World Cup match against England, he positioned himself where everyone would double up on him. We should have contained him, but somehow we couldn't during the game. I still can't understand why we didn't? It's football intelligence, pure game intelligence, knowing where to be. You mentioned his transition from the wing to the attacking midfielder zone—he did it exceptionally well, exemplarily. I think players like Yamal might belong to this category in the future. What challenges arise when transitioning from the wing to the center? There's more physical contact in midfield.

Although there's more physical contact around you, you also have more directional options, and the game becomes more open. However, when you play on the wing, the defender gives you only one option.

I'd say L. Messi was incredible as a winger, but when he played as a free player, his game reached a new level because he could drop deep to get the ball. Yes, he doesn't run much; I've never seen anyone move like L. Messi. He just conserves energy, and the team's tactics are built around him because he brings so much value. So he just comes into the zone, gets the ball, and as I said, from a standstill, accelerating to full speed—I've never seen anything like it. His center of gravity is very low, you can't stop him with your hands, he's very difficult to deal with, almost impossible to defend against.

You said his acceleration was his superpower. Would you rate his acceleration back then as one of the strongest aspects of his game?

Yes, his balance and acceleration. Because the game is fast, opponents accelerate from the wing, and L. Messi has both balance and strength. He's strong, small, but with powerful legs. He has everything: confidence, ball control, movement, pushing the ball past defenders.

I think that's an underrated aspect of his game; he's excellent at finding space. We always talk about his ball skills, but as the most explosive player on the field, he can use space effectively and is also the most lethal and decisive player on the pitch. Usually such players are tightly marked or surrounded by defenders, but he always found space when time and room allowed—that's a very outstanding ability.

Yes, all defenders want to contain him, but no one has ever managed it. It's his experience and wisdom; he can dribble directly, and no matter how the ball comes to him, he can control it precisely. He can do everything, and he can even score with his head.

When you played against him, did you feel a certain aura around him?

I don't know if you'll agree, but that was the best team I ever played against, the one at Wembley. Yes. Xavi, Busquets, Puyol, Iniesta. I think if it weren't for L. Messi, we could have beaten that team. But with L. Messi, it was impossible. I've never said this because they had so many great players. But they had L. Messi. He was unstoppable. He'd get the ball in space on the right, in space on the left, one touch, and he'd score. He was so difficult to defend against. Because you play for Manchester United, you think that no matter how strong the opposing team is—whether it's Real Madrid, Juventus, Milan—you feel you can beat them. But when you look back at that Champions League final, that match was really difficult because of L. Messi. Of course, they had other great players too.

Going back to that match, as a coach, I'd like to hear your opinion on that game? Especially at Wembley—do you think we could have handled it differently? And not just play more attractively.

I think we would have had to play perfectly, and they would have had to have a bad day, but they really had no weaknesses. I wish we could have played better. I mean, it's not different from any two-team situation—I think the problem was L. Messi; he was really difficult for us.

Because we played so well that season, it was hard for us to adapt to their rhythm, like assigning someone to mark L. Messi specifically or something—it was actually very difficult. So we could only play the way we played against other Champions League teams, and we played very well, but that team was really on another level.

I remember sitting in the dressing room thinking: what's happening? Like in the Wembley match, I remember standing with you and Scholesy, both with our arms folded saying: "Come on, help us," just wanting to avoid this humiliation, it was too embarrassing. I thought all my friends would say: "Wow, you got completely demolished in the final." That will probably stay with me forever.

Yes, as I said, we would have had to play perfectly, and they would have had to have a small slip-up, and L. Messi would have had to have a small slip-up, but he usually doesn't make mistakes in such important moments, which shows he's a great player. It was tough.

Переведено ИИ.

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