The six-time Ballon d’Or winner never scored against Chelsea during Ashley Cole’s time at the club.
How do you stop somebody widely regarded as one of the best players, if not greatest, in football history?
Lionel Messi has pulverized countless defenses almost effortlessly down the years with his unique array of talents and goalscoring instincts. He even recently broke Pele’s record for the most one-club goals ever at 644 goals in only 749 games.
But in Ashley Cole, who Cristiano Ronaldo famously rated as the toughest defender he’s ever faced back in 2018, lies a footballer even Messi couldn’t beat.
Cristiano Ronaldo named Ashley Cole as the toughest opponent he's ever faced! Whether he was playing for Manchester United or Portugal, the two faced on a number of occasions! pic.twitter.com/2HmGNiakRj
— Oh My Goal (@OhMyGoalUS) December 20, 2020
The former left-back met Messi five times throughout his career in Champions League games between Chelsea and Barcelona. The Blues didn’t lose a single one of their matches, with Cole on the team, with three wins and two draws.
Most impressive of all, however, was the fact Messi hadn’t scored in any of those encounters.
“It wasn’t just me!” Cole told Goal as part of the Nissan UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour.
“That’s been thrown about, but the team effort was massive. When it came to stopping players like him, we had a great team understanding and togetherness at Chelsea.
“Our midfield was integral in that regard. It certainly wasn’t just me. I wasn’t blowing my trumpet there by pointing that out!”
After his last meeting with Messi back in April 2012, Cole later had stints with AS Roma, LA Galaxy, and Derby County before retiring in 2019.
The 40-year-old followed former Chelsea teammate Frank Lampard back to Stamford Bridge in 2019 to become a youth coach.
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