Messi offers United praise
September 10, 2011 11:30:03 UK
Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has put the record straight on Manchester United declaring 'they are not an easy side to beat in Europe'.
Lionel Messi has offered European hope to Manchester United.Whilst all the pundits and spectators viewing last season's Champion League Final wrote and continue to write off the Red Devils as way second best on the European stage, magician Messi is having none of it.
Indeed the world's greatest player has nothing but praise for the English champions, adding of last season’s Champions League victory: "It certainly wasn't as easy as you are thinking."
Messi was the chief architect in the Wembley destruction of Sir Alex Ferguson's side in a final where Barca's football looked to have arrived from an alternate world.
But he added: "England is a country with a very important football culture and football possession, so the quality of the players is always high."
And on United in particular he is effusive in his praise of the teams Sir Alex has assembled saying: "Manchester is a team that always wants to play offensive football and they have players with very good skills."
And he added that whilst Barca controlled most of the final and that it had a 'happy ending - it was never easy'.
It comes as no surprise therefore to hear him declare the goal he scored 'was his personal favourite of last season'.
He concluded: "That's because it took us closer to the fourth Champions League triumph in the history of Barcelona."
Barca are 1213.00 to win the Champions League again in 2012 and 34.00 to retain their Spanish league crown.
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