As Liverpool found out at Camp Nou on Wednesday evening - just one of many English sides defeated across his 15 year career at Barcelona - stopping Lionel Messi is somewhat tough.
The 32-year-old Argentinean genius netted his 600th goal for the Catalans as the Reds were beaten 3-0 last night, and many are wondering how the five-time Ballon d'Or winner can be shackled.
Few have tamed Messi. But one of them is a former Bristol City defender, who was part of the team who won 2-1 back in 2012 with Celtic in the Champions League: Adam Matthews, now heading to the League One play-offs with Sunderland following a series of injuries and those two loans at Ashton Gate.
This week the full-back, who spent two seasons on loan at Ashton Gate 2015-17, was quoted by The Times on how he played a key role in subduing Barca's maestro.
“I was a bit nervous before the game, I’m not going to lie,” Matthews is quoted as saying of the 2012 meeting when the Wales international was only 20.
“But we didn’t talk about him [Messi] all that much. We didn’t do much preparation. If you build a player up too much beforehand, you might freeze with nerves. The manager [Neil Lennon] just told us to give everything and to enjoy it.
"It was quite weird [playing against Messi].
"He was on my side some of the time, but he just floated around, going where he wanted. If the ball was nowhere near, he'll just be walking around.
"Then seconds later, you would turn around, and 'Where the hell has he gone?'
“You’ve got to stay very close to him, very tight, but not dive in. As a team, you’ve got to be ready to track the runners because he’s so good at finding them with a one-touch pass and those little one-twos.
"That’s the biggest thing, even more than his dribbling. He’s the best dribbler in the world and the best finisher in the world, but he’s also the best passer. It’s his brain. He knows what he’s going to do even before he gets the ball.”
Matthews played at left back that night but is right footed, as City fans will attest.
“I hadn’t played there too much before, and it can be difficult when you’ve got the ball, but you’re not going to get much possession against Barcelona anyway,” he explained in a wider piece - that we recommend - on how former defenders have stopped Messi previously.
“It’s probably easier for a right-footer to play at left back against Messi.”
Maybe something for Jurgen Klopp to consider?
