GB: At any time has he come up to you and said: Calm down, we’re going to win. That’s what he said to the Under 20 World Cup coach Pancho Ferraro and to some of the trainers at La Masía.
PG: No. He never said it to me, certainly not to me directly. But there have been moments or certain gestures that have made me think: this bloke’s going to win it for us today. You catch a look, you look at him and then you say to yourself: he’s going to win it. He has to be convinced that we’re going well to feel like this.
The first clásico in those two weeks was in the league, at the Bernabéu. Madrid were eight points adrift of Barcelona with seven games to go, but José Mourinho used it as a way of initiating hostilities with his sights set on winning the cup, but above all the Champions League. The grass was left long and dry to impede good passing of the ball, and Madrid played with a defensive midfield trio, one of which was the centre-back Pepe. The objective was to kill the spaces in which Leo operated. Both sides shared control of the game and both were content with a 1–1 draw; the league title was now destined for the Barcelona trophy cabinet for the third year running.
But it had been a tense affair: seven yellow cards, a red for Albiol and two penalties. The Madrid fans insulted Leo every time he touched the ball, and from the stands a laser pen was directed at his eyes while he took the penalty from which he scored. Mourinho’s efforts to emotionally destabilise Barcelona were beginning to work. With the match just about finished Leo went chasing after a ball that he just failed to reach. He then decided to whack it into the stands, narrowly missing former Madrid coach John Toshack and a Sky Sports correspondent, who were sitting at pitch level.
The game carried on in the press conference afterwards and in the coaching sessions: Mourinho wanted to keep the tension cranked up, reminding his Spanish players that they shouldn’t regard their colleagues in the national side as friends, players he accused of being ‘actors’ who constantly tried to influence the referee. What’s more, he asked the directors at Madrid to try to stop the watering of the Mestalla pitch where the final of the Copa del Rey was to be played. But they failed to carry out his request.
The defeat hit the squad hard. Leo felt he had not done enough: he had been unable to find a solution to the tactical plan set up by Madrid. It was a double disappointment.
20 April 2011. Copa del Rey final. Barcelona 0–1 Real Madrid. Mestalla Stadium
FC Barcelona: Pinto; Alvés, Piqué, Mascherano, Adriano (Maxwell, 118th minute): Busquets (Keita, 107th minute), Xavi, Iniesta; Pedro, Messi and Villa (Afellay, 105th minute). Subs not used: Pinto; Adriano, Maxwell, Thiago and Mascherano.
Real Madrid: Casillas; Arbeloa, Ramos, Carvalho (Garay, 118th minute), Marcelo; Pepe, Xabi Alonso, Khedira (Granero, 103rd minute); Di María, Ronaldo and Özil (Adebayor, 69th minute). Subs not used: Dudek; Albiol, Granero, León and Higuaín.
Goals: 0–1, 103rd minute: cross from Di María finished by Cristiano Ronaldo header beyond the reach of Pinto.
Cayetano Ros, El País: [Messi] desperate, tried from just about every position possible dropping deep and wide, without success. His zigzagging invariably ended in the snares of the Madrid defence. ‘The Flea’ controlled less, because his team was passing the ball less than ever in the first half. After the interval everything changed and his deep pass to Pedrito was excellent despite the fact that the linesman disallowed the goal for offside. Messi drifted towards the right-hand side, leaving the centre of the park less crowded and gaps started appearing which the azulgrana penetrated. And with Villa as a centre-forward the team found a point of reference they had not had until then.
Off the pitch, Mourinho was interpreting Barcelona’s game and the danger of Messi well. In bringing in a third midfielder, Messi had found himself coming across another obstacle in his path. Pepe could take charge of stopping the inside diagonal runs that the Argentinian would frequently make, and that was going to be the big gamble that Mourinho would take when the two sides met in the Champions League semi-finals.
The tension continued. Pep Guardiola saw his side so downcast that he decided to take the bull by the horns. His motivational team talk was going to take place in Madrid in a deliberate move, at a press conference before the match. The Barcelona coach said that Mourinho was ‘el puto amo’ (the ‘fucking guv’nor’) of the press conferences. This title, he said, he would give him, the other one they would contest on the pitch. For the first leg, Mourinho called for more pressure on their opponents, on the referee, more committed tackling and counter-attacks but without risk: winner takes all at the return leg at the Camp Nou. But the plan went wrong because Pepe put in a tackle with his studs showing on Dani Alvés who made the most of the challenge: the result was a red card for the defensive pivot. Mourinho was also sent off. It was a moment of highly charged emotional intensity, just half an hour from the end of the game. A match that, at that point, needed someone to grab it by the scruff of the neck.
27 April 2011. Champions League semifinal first leg. Real Madrid 0–2 Barcelona
Barcelona: Valdés; Alvés; Piqué, Mascherano, Puyol; Xavi, Busquets, Keita; Pedro (Afellay, 71st minute), Messi and Villa (Sergi Roberto, 90th minute). Subs not used: Pinto, Jeffrén, Milito, Fontàs and Thiago Alcántara.
Real Madrid: Casillas; Arbeloa, Ramos, Albiol, Marcelo; Xabi Alonso, Pepe, Lass; Ozil (Adebayor, 46th minute), Di María and Ronaldo. Subs not used: Adán, Kaká, Benzema, Granero, Garay and Higuaín.
Goals: 0–1. 76th minute: Leo Messi finishes after a pass from the right from Ibrahim Afellay. 0–2. 87th minute: Leo Messi, individual effort.
José Sámano, El Pais: In another clásico of intrigue and excuses for some, the football was about Barcelona and the glory of their greatest ambassador: Messi. Nothing symbolises Barcelona more than ‘the Flea’. In front of them, a shutdown by a Madrid side that enjoyed a meagre 26.4 per cent possession. Statistics far more conclusive than a sendingoff, however harsh that might have been. Messi, Barcelona, the visitors avoided the miserable 0–0 that Mourinho was dreaming of … Messi demonstrates more as an illustrious midfielder and the goal may not be as close to him as it was before, but he still appears at the right time. Ubiquitous and omnipresent, ‘the Flea’ assists and scores.
Jordi Quixano, El País: Messi. Two versions, one result. At the start, he was too far from the final metres, from Casillas’s goal, he spent too much time on dribbles in unthreatening zones. As soon as Barcelona found themselves playing against ten men, the screw tightened on their opponents and he set the seal on the game. First he successfully met a cross from Afellay and later he scored after a superb mazy dribble. Two plays, two goals.
The most international clásico of them all, the one that was talked about most, had finished with a demonstration of quality and emotional stability from Leo in Cristiano Ronaldo’s backyard. But also with a torrent of accusations. Tensions boiled over in the tunnel leading to the dressing rooms with both verbal and physical confrontations and with Puyol and Pepe swapping blows. Messi decided to distance himself from the scene. Mourinho was asked why this always happened to him against Barcelona after announcing: ‘If I tell the referee and UEFA what I’m thinking, my career finishes today.’ Madrid denounced Barcelona for what they said was unsporting behaviour by Guardiola and eight other players (Leo wasn’t among them) to UEFA’s Discipline and Control Committee, an accusation that was dismissed.
Mourinho watched the return leg at the team hotel in Barcelona. Madrid, for the first time under the Portuguese coach, looked to press higher up the pitch, his players’ favoured option.
‘We want him to have freedom so he can give full rein to his creative talents,’ said Guardiola at the end of the game. ‘He is pleased with that, it can be done because he has players who support him, as Pedro and Villa have done. Because if one doesn’t have the will, the desire and the ability to know that what you are doing is for the benefit of the whole group, it is impossible to get to a final as magical as the one we will be competing for on
the 28th.’
3 May 2011. Champions League semi-final second leg. Barcelona 1–1 Real Madrid
Barcelona: Valdés; Alvés, Piqué, Mascherano, Puyol (Abidal, 90th minute); Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta; Pedro, Messi and Villa (Keita, 74th minute). Subs not used: Olazábal, Jeffrén, Fontàs and Thiago Alcántara.
Real Madrid: Casillas; Arbeloa, Carvalho, Albiol, Marcelo; Lass Diarra, Xabi Alonso; Di María, Kaká (Özil, 60th minute), Ronaldo; Higuaín (Adebayor, 55th minute). Subs not used: Dudek, Benzema, Granero, Garay and Nacho Fernández.
Goals: 1–0, 54th minute: Pedro. 1–1, 64th minute: Marcelo.
Luis Martín, El País: Always Messi, with or without a goal. ‘The Flea’, who runs in excess of eight kilometres, demonstrated his generosity working like a navvy rather than a star because that is what the game demanded of him. Messi did not score, but his talents are difficult to resist. Yesterday the Argentine from Rosario had an enormous game, but that is hardly news any more. He celebrated the goal as if he had scored it himself. Generous, ‘the Flea’ jumped for joy in his orange boots for the glory of everyone.
It is hardly a surprise that Messi has been fouled more than anyone else in the Champions League: there are days when the only way he can be stopped is by bending the rules. Often he is left physically drained after 12 or more fouls.
Ever shy, came the moment to celebrate, Messi let himself be carried out by the festive atmosphere inside the Camp Nou, embracing Pedro and Busquets. He was in his glory. Overflowing with emotion. So much so that when it looked like he could not fight back the tears, tears of joy of course, Pep Guardiola, his protector, appeared in order give him a hug.
Mourinho had tried with all the weapons in his arsenal, and his efforts had left a mark. He managed to make sure that in future clásicos you had to keep an eye on what was going on away from the game. The Spanish Supercup match the following summer (the one in which Mourinho’s finger ended up in Tito Vilanova’s eye) was not a peaceful one for Leo. After drawing 2–2 in the away leg, recently back from holiday and against a Madrid side that was ready to win their first trophy of the season, Barcelona had to wait until the final minutes of the second leg at the Camp Nou to take the title.
Near the end of the game, Messi spat close to the Madrid bench and Mourinho raised his finger to his nose suggesting that Leo was dirty. The clincher to make it 3–2 arrived two minutes from the end: a goal from the Argentinian, his second of the day. After scoring it he made a gesture to the Madrid bench, opening and closing his left hand, seemingly inviting them to continue protesting, to continue talking. Shortly after, he clashed strongly with Fabio Coentrao who had not been aware of ‘the Flea’s’ presence. What the cameras had not seen were the little kicks that Messi got and hardly anyone saw, on the ankle, from behind, constantly, the ones that hurt.
‘He turns up in his flip-flops and scores three goals against Madrid,’ said Xavi after the game.
In the league five months later, Pepe premeditatedly trod on his hand and the Portuguese defender ended up apologising for his actions on the Real Madrid website. He said it had been an involuntary gesture. There were more personal confrontations in the following years, while Mourinho was on the Real bench. It was becoming harder to enjoy the clásicos; they had stopped being entertaining games, becoming instead pitched battles and smear campaigns. The constant appearances of Leo, who drew level with Alfredo Di Stéfano on goals scored in matches between the two sides, confirmed that he was a player for the big occasion, but in the last clásicos it was becoming clear that Mourinho had become the first to find the antidote to their game, opening the way for others (Chelsea, Bayern Munich) to cast doubt in the following months upon the dominance of their team.
Mourinho, with his constant doubts over the legitimacy of the blaugranas’ triumphs, contributed something else as well: people became tired of seeing Barcelona win. That’s certainly how Leo understands it as he explained in an interview with Martín Souto of TyC.
Martín Souto: Why do you think that people celebrate when Barcelona lose, without necessarily being fans of Madrid. Is it jealousy perhaps?
Lionel Messi: I don’t know. One time Guardiola said that this thing about winning everything and so many times means that people tire of it and that’s why some want us to lose, but there can be many reasons. With the people of Madrid, it’s because they’re from Madrid.
Martín Souto: But does the same thing happen in Argentina?
Lionel Messi: No, the truth is that I don’t think about it, neither does it interest me. I know that a lot of people are waiting for us to fail and be out of everything, but it doesn’t bother me.
8. THE SECOND CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL AGAINST MANCHESTER UNITED, 2011
Picture the scene: Barcelona fly from Valencia where the team had faced Levante and won the league title. In the middle of the flight there’s a party, some players are standing up, others applauding from their seats, there are songs. ‘Slow down, slow down, slow down … we took their arses down’, referring to Real Madrid, of course. And an announcement comes over the tannoy: ‘This is your captain speaking. One of the emergency doors has been activated. Please, we are in the critical phase of the flight. I know that you are all very happy, but try to contain it for a moment.’ Without realising it, Leo had activated it during the celebration. With a cheeky smirk, he looked behind him, just in case someone had seen him do it. The laughter continued until they reached Ciudad Condal.
It had been a very tough league. The pressure from Madrid was difficult to come to terms with. They had made it uncomfortable for Messi on the pitch, too. Mourinho had found a formula to prevent his diagonal runs and link-up play: a midfielder was waiting for him at the start of each piece of play, aggressive in the tackle and with the intention of not letting him get out of second gear. On top of that, the merengues were packing the midfield. And ultimately they even raised the defensive line to reduce the space. The model for stopping Barcelona had been put in place.
But few teams had sufficient numbers of intelligent and capable players who could cause damage on the counter like Real Madrid. Before the Champions League final, Messi had scored 52 goals and provided 24 assists in all competitions. ‘How do you stop this guy?’ sports newspaper Marca asked.
The answer was not clear for the majority of teams. Listen to Atlético de Madrid left-back Mariano Pernía, who told a funny story on the TyC Sports programme Extra Time during a televised barbecue with other Argentinian players: ‘The worst thing about Messi, the worst … we were losing 3 or 4–1, at the Calderón, and he stopped in the middle of the pitch. He just stopped, completely motionless. Literally. He froze! And I was seven or eight metres away, and I say: “Oh shit …” Well, I go over there … more through obligation than anything else … And … I don’t know what he did to me, I just don’t know!’ Leo had waited for Pernía to arrive and made as if to move, his feet planted firmly on the ground. And then he was off. The defender was left behind. ‘I got home and my missus says to me: “What did he do to you?” And I say: “How do I know!? You tell me. You saw it on TV!” I swear I don’t know. I went to close him down as he was about to cut in; but he didn’t cut in, I don’t know what he did.’
To help him prevent defenders overpowering him, Leo built his muscles up. José María Cuartetas noticed the physical change after the 2010 World Cup: ‘He went to Argentina and when he came back, the three of us who were working [in the restaurant] that day, said: “he has done something, he has spent the summer in the gym.” You could see he was more muscular. Now his legs are more developed, more pronounced, firmer arms, a stronger chest … and we spoke about it with his father, but he told us he hadn’t done anything, just trained as normal. You see him now, they barge into him and he handles it.’
So how do you defend against him then? ‘Even if you know the move he is going to do, he’ll dummy you so quickly and burst with such explosiveness that you lose him,’ says Cesc, who marked him while at Arsenal and hundreds of times in tra
ining. ‘It’s like the game in front of a mirror with a person behind who moves to one side and you have to follow him. You never have time to do what he does.’
‘Messi combines his perfect touch with an incredible agility and rapid acceleration,’ explains coach Henk ten Cate. ‘He often changes position over the first couple of yards. As a defender, you lose your courage. The beautiful thing is that he does all of that right on the edge of the box. Therefore, practically every action by Messi creates danger from the moment he receives possession.’
Messi Page 59