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Lionel Messi: ‘He’s got a family, man, you can't do that’ - Rio Ferdinand on Barcelona ace
LIONEL MESSI is a magician and the Barcelona forward can take a game away from any team.
Liverpool vs Barcelona: Ferdinand praises Messi ahead of clash
That is according to BT Sport pundit and Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand.
Ferdinand was speaking ahead of Barcelona’s Champions League semi-final first leg against Liverpool at the Nou Camp.
Lionel Messi unsurprisingly took his place in the Barca starting XI on the right of a front three that consisted of two former Liverpool stars - Phillipe Coutinho and Luis Suarez.
The Argentine has a fine record against English sides but was yet to score against Liverpool before Wednesday’s match.
It is cruel, he’s got a family man, you can’t do that to people
However, in the previous round he tormented Manchester United with two goals in a 3-0 win.
Messi ran the show and almost contributed to a stunning goal following a solo run past United defender Phil Jones.
After being shown that clip again, Ferdinand said: “Here he twists Phil Jones, unfortunately for him.
“It is cruel, he’s got a family, man, you can’t do that to people.”
Ferdinand also claimed the Barcelona maestro was head and shoulders clear of the Brazilian Ronaldo and fellow Argentine Diego Maradona based on stats alone.
“The 10th consecutive season - 40 goals,” he added.
“That’s unheard of. The stats he’s putting up is laughable.
“You think back to yesteryear when we talked about Ronaldo, the Brazilian one, I loved him, great player, Maradona, great player.
“If Messi put up numbers that they had in their best seasons we’d go ‘he’s off it this year’.
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“That’s how good he is, that’s the level he’s gone to. He’s a magician.
“He turns up and he says ‘I’m going to take this game off of you’.
“I think if he decides to come here and really light it up, he’s that good that when he makes decisions like that, he can do it.
“He’s that good that he can determine games when he wants.”
Messi scored twice against Liverpool, including a stunning free kick, as Barcelona took a 3-0 first leg lead at the Nou Camp.