Imagine playing a tough, exhausting game against Barcelona at the Nou Camp and then seeing Lionel Messi entering the fray?
Well, Danny Rose had that experience against the Blaugrana in the Champions League and wasn't afraid to admit his true feelings about seeing Messi come on.
The left-back, now on-loan at Newcastle, was on the bench as Messi scored twice in a 4-2 win over Spurs at Wembley in October 2018.
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Rose got the nod in the reverse fixture but it was Messi who was rested, with Barcelona already through to the knockout stages.
Messi came on for the latter part of the game and just seeing him step onto the pitch left Rose feeling a little nervous.
"I was on the bench in the home game in the Champions League and when we played away, he came on for the last 15 minutes but, yeah, I s*** myself when he came on to be fair!" Rose told Don Dada on Instagram live.
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"My manager, Poch, told me in the hotel before the game. I had just come back from injury and he said, 'You're playing and no matter what you do, do not kick Messi. Don't make him angrier!' I'm thinking, 'Nah, you can't be telling me this!'
"I normally sleep in the afternoon so I've gone back up to my room and I'm just laying on my bed thinking, 'What the f*** am I going to do tonight?'
"Luckily, Messi didn't start and he came on for the last 15 minutes and, obviously, I'm thinking, 'Don't foul him! Don't foul him!'"
Rose has gone on record to say Messi is his favourite player and he was able to keep him reasonably quiet, with Spurs qualifying for the round of 16 after Lucas Moura's late equaliser.
Spurs would go on to reach the final against fellow Premier League side Liverpool in Madrid, while Barcelona were defeated by the winners in the semi-final after a horrendous collapse in the second leg at Anfield.
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