'He battered me for it' - Lionel Messi's shirt ended up with ex England star Jack Wilshere after teammate assist
The greatest assist Jack Wilshere received came from a former teammate who helped him secure Lionel Messi's shirt after he couldn't bring himself to ask the Barcelona legend.
Wilshere produced one of the greatest individual performances in Champions League history back in 2011 when he ran the show in Arsenal's 2-1 win over Barcelona.
The pint-sized midfielder looked like he was a La Masia academy product as he ran rings around Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets - arguably the greatest midfield trio in football history.
Wilshere, currently managing Luton Town in League One, gets tagged in clips of the highlights any time the anniversary comes up.
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The ex England star doesn't watch the game back to remember his masterclass and that's partly because he has two different mementos which take him right back to his career highlight at the Emirates.
He managed to bag both Xavi and Messi's shirts from the fixture but securing the latter required the help of his captain Cesc Fabregas as shy teenager Wilshere was a little nervous.
Fabregas, who ended up signing for Barcelona months later, did the honours and now 15 years on, that Messi No.10 shirt is currently guarded by his 14-year-old son Archie.
How Jack Wilshere ended up with Lionel Messi and Xavi shirts
"I've got so many shirts—from Cardiff players in the Premier League to Messi's when we played against him" Wilshere, a regular shirt-swapper, told SPORTbible in an exclusive interview ahead of hosting 'Showdown: 7s v 10s' with Landon Donovan on eBay Live.
"My son Archie is 14 and football mad. His football knowledge about players and the past is unbelievable. He's actually got my Messi shirt hanging in his room at the moment, which is fine for now. But I'll be taking it back soon!
"After the game there were a load of shirts I wanted but I made the decision that I wanted Xavi and I wanted Messi - probably understanding that every single players wants Messi, so I focused on Xavi and got his shirt.
"Then I said to Cesc, 'I want Messi's shirt and he said, 'Well go and ask him!' I said, 'No, no, I can't, I can't talk to him!'.
He was like, 'Alright I'll go and do it' and he battered me after for it. But I got it, which is the important thing."
Fabregas decided to go after Wilshere on Twitter, now X, playfully exposing him for being too scared to ask Messi.
He wrote: "@jack_wilshere can't believe I had to go and get Messi's shirt for u [sic]. U were so scared. You were MOTM so next time please ask urself [sic]!"
Wilshere cheekily responded: "You are the skipper mate you should look after your players. Thanks though and next time I'm going after your mate Iniesta!"
Messi, the record goalscorer in World Cup history, is regularly inundated with shirt requests from the opposition and that is almost definitely the case in the ongoing tournament in North America.
Wilshere will no doubt refuse all offers for a shirt worn by the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner in a game where he managed to get the better of him and his team.
But he is overseeing the auctioning of a whole host of football memorabilia items and collectibles as on Sunday, both Wilshere and former United States and Everton star Donovan will host 'Showdown: 7s v 10s', an interactive livestream centered around one of football’s most iconic debates.
It all goes down on eBay live on Sunday 28 June at 2:30pm BST and in focusing on those who are synonymous with football's two most iconic numbers, there are signed shirts from Wayne Rooney, Cole Palmer and Bukayo Saka.
Of course the debate wouldn't exist without focus on Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, with their rare Panini collectibles also on the agenda.
A live scoreboard will track which side generates the most engagement and it could be tricky for Wilshere, who wore both numbers in his career.
He said: "People are always having the Messi-Ronaldo debate, but there's so many more in my opinion.
"I'm looking forward to debating it with Landon because there's so many different types of players. And when you think about it - and listen, there's obviously other good players, but in my opinion, a lot of the good players, either they wore the No.7 or the No.10. The showdown will be good."
Asked about his favourite piece of memorabilia from his career, Wilshere replied: "Apart from my England caps, I'd say my 2014 World Cup cap where I wore number seven.
"Growing up, David Beckham was my hero. To wear England's number seven shirt at a World Cup was special.
"As for shirts, Messi's shirt is probably my favourite. I've also got shirts signed by Steven Gerrard, Paul Scholes and Frank Lampard, which mean a lot because I grew up watching them play for England and tried to be like them.
"But Messi's shirt is probably number one because, for me, he's the greatest player of all time."
Topics: Lionel Messi, Arsenal, Spotlight
Josh Lawless