Wayne Rooney begged for mercy in the 2011 Champions League final after his Manchester United side were blown away by Barcelona.
The Blaugrana produced a truly breathtaking display at Wembley, playing United off the park en route to a 3-1 win that secured a second Champions League final triumph over the Red Devils in three seasons.
The performance was the absolute peak of Pep Guardiola's stint in charge of Barcelona and Rooney, who scored a first-half equaliser, pleaded to Barca skipper Xavi ten minutes from time.
Advert
"That's enough, you've won. You can stop playing the ball around now," Rooney is believed to have said, as Sergio Busquets revealed in an interview with The Guardian last year.
Pedro, Lionel Messi and David Villa were all on target in the tika-taka masterclass that left Sir Alex Ferguson shaking in the dug-out five minutes before the final whistle was blown.
After the game, the Scotsman admitted that United had never been outclassed in such convincing fashion and stated that the Barca side were the best team he had come up against during his long managerial career.
Advert
"Nobody's given us a hiding like that but they deserve it," Ferguson said, as per BBC Sport.
"They play the right way and they enjoy their football. They do mesmerise you with their passing and we never really did control Messi. But many people have said that.
"In my time as manager, it's the best team I've faced."
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Xavi, Football News, FC Barcelona, Football, Sergio Busquets, Wayne Rooney
