UK Edition
How to man-mark Lionel Messi: A study in on-pitch harassment
Man-marking is generally considered an antiquated defensive tactic, but on-loan Manchester City defender Pablo Maffeo gave a masterclass in how it can work against none other than Lionel Messi on Saturday.
Barcelona may have prevailed 3-0 against fellow Catalan club Girona, but Maffeo did not leave the five-time Ballon D'Or winner's side until he (Maffeo) was substituted in the 78th minute.
Messi failed to score or a register an assist, a credit to Maffeo's display who stuck to the player Pep Guardiola once claimed could not be stopped like glue - even when Girona had possession.
Ironically, it was current Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde who masterminded one of the few previous attempts to man-mark the Argentina while he was Athletic Bilbao coach. It did not work, with Messi scoring a sublime solo goal in the 2015 Copa del Rey final.
One Spanish publication even mocked up a cartoon of Maffeo in bed and his wife Antonella Roccuzzo to satirise just how committed the young defender was to his task.
The realisation
After a few minutes of Maffeo chasing his tail, Messi clocks-on to the fact he is being man-marked and shares a word in the Spaniard's ear. Something along the lines of 'surely you'll get bored of this, eventually', we hazard to guess.
Touch-tight
As he usually does, Messi drops into midfield to try and create space for Luis Suarez and on this occasion, Alex Vidal, to dart into. Ordinarily, Maffeo would stay in his position and pass Messi on to one of his Girono teammates, but here he stalks his opponent and even gives him a discreet shove in the small of the back.
The sledging starts
We know that set-pieces provide a lucid interval in matches for kinds of shirt-pulling, shin-kicking and eye-gouging, and Messi takes the chance to have a word in Maffeo's ear. Messi fixes him with a gaze and a word that lasts long-enough to remind Maffeo he is playing against a legend in his own lifetime.
Deep in coversation
Like many footballers, the pair take to talking behind their hands so the cameras cannot pick them up. Perhaps they are comparing notes on Pep Guardiola, perhaps they are chewing the fat over the Catalan Independence referendum. They took appropriate steps to ensure we shall never know.
Mutual respect
Messi gives Maffeo a healthy slap on the back after the full-time whistle, like the world champions boxer acknowledging that his challenger put up a decent fight. Perhaps Sporting Lisbon were watching and will employ similar tactics when they face Barcelona in the Champions League on Wednesday.