"No, no no, it's disrespectful, I wouldn't have it [If I was Messi]" Ferdinand joked last night.
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It did mean that Messi more than earned his late goal in the tie, which was PSG's second of the night, rounding off a famous and valuable European win.
The Argentine combined beautifully with Kylian Mbappe after darting in from the touchline, eventually firing past a helpless Ederson in the City net.
It was a breathtaking first goal at the Parc Des Princes for the former Barcelona man, who had previously struggled to make his mark in his three previous appearances for PSG.
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And yet, for as much as Messi is attracting praise for the strike, he's also drawing compliments for his team play in last night's win.
The job of lying down behind the wall to prevent a cheeky low free-kick effort is a well-established tactic for most teams.
And while that duty normally falls to an attacker, you might assume that some players are simply too revered to be given that job.
That's certain the opinion of one former Manchester United defender.
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As some Twitter users were quick to point out, even Messi's teammates seemed confused to see the great man laying down for the cause.
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It's an ironic turn of events, as Messi is one of the reasons that teams now employ a player to lie down behind the wall, as he made low driving free kicks somewhat of a speciality a few years back.
After all of the talk of Messi's discontentment in Paris, this act more than any other should go a long way towards showing how hungry the forward is for success at PSG.
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Topics: Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Neymar, Lionel Messi, Rio Ferdinand, Champions League
