For most people man marking Lionel Messi for 90 minutes might seem a nightmare but perhaps getting his shirt would be small consolation. Pablo Maffeo on the other hand seemed to enjoy the task and didn't even want his shirt.
The thought of having to keep Lionel Messi quiet for a whole football match should be enough to wake up any defender in the middle of the night whilst suffering from cold sweats and a shortness of breath.
Right now the five time Ballon d'Or winner, and arguably the best player football has ever seen (I said arguably okay, that doesn't mean you have to argue though), is on brilliant form, scoring 12 goals from 10 games in all competitions.
Lionel Messi, quite good. Image: PA
Advert
On Saturday night Barca came up against La Liga newcomers Girona, who are part owned by Pep Guardiola's brother, and the 29 year-old striker found himself man marked by 20 year-old Manchester City loanee Pablo Maffeo.
Maffeo had a decent game and despite Barca winning 3-0 he was able to stop Messi getting on the scoresheet. After the match he revealed to Marca why he didn't take Messi's shirt at full-time despite being offered:
"A friend of mine wanted Ter Stegen's shirt so I asked the goalkeeper. Messi is the best footballer in the world, but friends come first."
Ter-Stegen comforts Messi after the forward learnt that Maffeo didn't want his shirt. Image: PA
Advert
Despite winning the match 3-0 Barca didn't dominate quite like you'd imagine and Girona actually had 15 shots to the Catalan's nine. However the goalkeeper still didn't have much to do as Girona only managed to get two of their efforts on target.
Maffeo explained him and the forward had quite the chat during the game, adding, "He [Messi] asked me a couple of things, like if I was loaned by City and how old I was. It was all good."
Maffeo is a Manchester City player on loan at Girona. Image: PA
Advert
The young defender explained his role in the game adding, "I had to mark him and I had to be close to him and not watch the ball. It is difficult, not just from a football perspective, but also psychologically."
Personally I like my friends but I'd 100% have taken Messi's shirt as reward for stopping him from scoring!
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Manchester City, Barcelona, Lionel Messi, Girona