Last Sunday, Barcelona shrugged off Juventus in a 3-0 routing to win the Gamper trophy. However, these two giants had shared the stage for the same occasion 15 years ago in what was a much more competitive encounter.
Despite the presence of a jaw-dropping list of word class talents – including Alessandro Del Piero, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Ronaldinho and Andres Iniesta – an 18-year-old stole the highlights, leaving everyone watching in awe.
Although the Bianconeri eventually won the shootouts following a 2-2 draw, Lionel Messi ran the show for the Blaugrana, with his brilliant runs and dribbles plus his incredible passes, including a magical assist for Iniesta’s goal.
I remember this game I was simply at awe whenever the little magician had the ball. Capello was joking with Reijckard about the possibility of loaning Messi to Juve that season.