FCBARCELONA.CAT

25.08.2009 14:45

Shakhtar a special opponent for Messi

Berta Brau

The final of the European Super Cup will be doubly special for Leo Messi. Firstly, because it’s a title he has never won and secondly because he made his European debut against the Ukrainian side.

On 7th September 2004, Leo Messi was in Frank Rijkaard’s starting line-up for the last Champions League group phase match against Shakhtar Donetsk. At the time, the Argentinean star was still a reserve team player and the match was his first in Europe with the first team, a debut he still remembers. “It was very cold and we lost. I remember that a lot of reserve team players made their debuts that day”.

Revenge four year later

The defeat against Shakhtar cast a shadow over his European debut but last year Messi got the chance to take his revenge, a chance he didn’t squander. His two goals catapulted Barça to victory: “We won that match and I was able to score two goals right at the last minute when the match was finishing”.

Food for thought

Leo Messi believes the last meeting with the Ukrainians taught people a useful lesson: “It gave us food for thought because the match turned complicated. People thought it would be easy, a formality. We know that matches of this importance are never easy. We learned a good lesson that day - not to let it happen again”.