Getty
Lionel Messi’s famous Barcelona No. 10 shirt is often in demand after matches and certainly was when the Catalan giants took on Manchester United in the quarter-finals of the Champions League back in 2019.
Red Devils’ midfielder Scott McTominay has revealed how he took home Messi’s shirt after the game, although the Barcelona captain did need a bit of convincing from Manchester United goalkeeper and Argentina international Sergio Romero after taking a whack in the face during the match.
Scott McTominay needed an assist from Sergio Romero to get Messi’s shirt 😅
(via @alexisenunes)
“I got his shirt you know? So whenever we played against him for Barcelona [in 2019]. Chris Smalling elbowed him and he’s got blood coming out of his nose. And he thought it was me,” he explained. “Because I said to Sergio Romero please can you ask Messi to get his shirt? Sergio’s come back in and said. ‘Oh he thinks you were the one who elbowed him on the halfway line.’ I said, ‘No, no, no, no.’ Tell him, it wasn’t me. So make sure I get that shirt because that’s going in my bedroom.”
Barcelona beat Manchester United 4-0 on aggregate to progress to the last four with Messi scoring two of the goals to knock Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side out of the competition.
Follow the Heavy on Barcelona Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content!
Messi’s Impressive Shirt Collection
Messi has been happy to show off his shirt collection on social media. The Argentina international revealed he has an entire room full of jerseys he has collected throughout his career for club and country.
The collections includes such team-mates past and present including Luis Suarez, Dani Alaves, and Gerard Pique as well as fierce rivals such as former Real Madrid stars Iker Casillas and Raul.
Lionel Messi’s shirt collection is 😍
The Barcelona captain admitted back in 2019 that he does not tend to ask for shirts. He told TyC Sports that he had only ever approached one player and asked to swap, as reported by the Mirror.
“I don’t ask for shirts, I usually swap them, but I asked [Zinedine] Zidane once,” he explained. “If there is an Argentine I swap it with him, but, unless someone asks me, I’m not asking anyone.”
Messi Stuns Goalkeeper
Yet Messi did ask for a shirt earlier this season back in February after Barcelona’s 3-0 La Liga win over Eibar. The 33-year-old embraced Édgar Badía after the game, handed over his shirt and asked for the goalkeeper’s jersey in return.
The gesture appeared to catch the 29-year-old stopper by surprise.
Elche GK Edgar Badia seemed surprised when Leo Messi asked for his jersey. Respect. 💪🙌
Badia admitted after the game he certainly had not been expecting to take Messi’s shirt home with him in a post on Twitter as reported by Marca.
“Yes, I was surprised,” he wrote. “But do you know what I was thinking despite the result? That this team is going to be saved. As a TEAM, as a GROUP. We will continue to take steps forward and improve and compete against any rival. Great first half yesterday! Let’s do this.”
Messi also handed over his shirt to a supporter back in December after leading his team to victory over Real Sociedad. The captain was stopped in his car after the match gifted the jersey with a smile.
READ NEXT: Barcelona’s Ansu Fati Provides Emotional Update on Knee Injury