A former Liverpool star has revealed how Lionel Messi actually made it easy to keep him quiet during a famous victory over FC Barcelona.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup winner has only played against Premier League giants Liverpool four times in his career – with all those encounters coming in the UEFA Champions League – winning twice and losing twice.
One of said defeats came in a round of 16 tie in 2007. Former Liverpool defender Alvaro Arbeloa had been given the strenuous task of man-marking a young, energetic Messi shortly after joining the Reds from Deportivo La Coruna in January that year.
The Merseyside club would emerge surprise 2-1 victors on the night at the Camp Nou, but lost the second leg by a goal to nil. They still, however, managed to knock the Blaugrana – who were the defending champions at the time – out of the competition courtesy of the way goals rule.
Reflecting on the encounter in which he managed to keep the Argentine silent, former Real Madrid star Arbeloa, who now coaches the Spanish giants' U19 side, said he still has clear memories of the match and what preceded it, including the instructions he received from then Reds boss Rafael Benitez.
"We played that day with me at left-back," Arbeloa told The Coaches' Voice.
"Two strikers up front, although [Dirk] Kuyt played a bit further back. [John Arne] Riise usually played at fullback, but that day [he] played ahead of me.
"That day, I had to mark Messi. I remember it perfectly. Rafa Benitez came to training one day in Liverpool and he told me that I was going to play left-back to mark Messi."
Arbeloa added that the Spanish tactician highlighted the Argentine's tendency at the time "to go inside", and thought that the former Spain defender would do well in that position.
The contest was also Arbeloa's UCL debut for the Reds, and he recalled the difference between marking the Inter Miami star when he was young as opposed to later in his career.
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"The main difference from the Messi I marked that day to a few years later was that, then, Messi would almost always receive very, very wide, which made it easier for me to mark. Not quite man to man, but by dropping a lot in my zone and almost letting him receive on the wing.
"That made it easier for me to be very close to him, and I also had Riise's defensive help throughout.
"I think I remember that it was [Juliano] Belletti, the Barca right-back, who didn't overlap a lot in that tie. He was quite an attacking player, but he didn't overlap much so I always had Riise's help.
"Maybe the difference in the later version of Messi, who was obviously still as good, was that he started in a freer role and came to receive more in the square [between defenders] or dropped further back to receive. That made it very difficult for an opponent to get as close to him as I was in that game.
"One of the things that also worked in my favour in this case when I was marking Leo Messi, and something that I insist on a lot with my players, is that Leo always tended to ask for the ball into his feet. I wasn't worried that he would look to get in behind me.
"He wasn't a player who would come and ask for the ball and then break into the space behind. That made it easier for me to stay on top of him, and I didn't mind jumping whenever he went.
"If Leo dropped, I could go because there wasn't that threat in behind, and because Riise was also there. Sometimes, even if I pushed up a lot with Leo, he [Riise] would drop and cover my position."
The Reds will be looking to draw inspiration from their European escapades against Barcelona when they take on Manchester City on Sunday, in a match that could have substantial implications for this season's Premier League title race.
Liverpool currently occupy top spot on the table with 63 points, with the Citizens right on their tails with 62. Arsenal, meanwhile, are also in the mix with 61 points.
Before that match, though, the Reds have a UEFA Europa League round of 16 tie on Thursday night to focus on.
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