Chelsea icon John Obi Mikel has issued a stern warning to England regarding the immense challenge of stopping Lionel Messi in the FIFA World Cup semifinal. The former Nigerian midfielder believes that while everyone has tried to stop the Argentina captain, he consistently manages to find a solution on the pitch. Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Mikel recalled his time at Chelsea and the specific plans Jose Mourinho would devise to manage the forward.
Mikel explained that Mourinho’s tactic was always to have the team gang up on the Argentine, as marking him one-on-one was deemed impossible. Addressing Gary Lineker, Mikel asked, “Gary. How do you do that? We’ve all tried, and we’ve all failed.” He described Messi as a “little magician” and a “genius,” noting that the team would always discuss how to stop him a week before facing Barcelona. “Obviously, a week before the game, we always talk about it. Lionel Messi, how do we stop him? And of course, Mourinho always has a tactic: How do we stop this little magician? But you know, we’ve all tried to gang up against him. You have to have one or two players. You can’t defend one-on-one because it’s impossible,” Mikel stated.
When asked about Alan Shearer’s suggestion that one player should shadow Messi throughout the match, Mikel was quick to downplay the idea. He noted that you do not want to simply walk around with a player like that, because once the ball hits his feet, everything changes. He described the ball as being like a magnet on Messi’s feet and praised his vision, calling him one of the best passers in the world. While acknowledging his goal-scoring, Mikel emphasized that the weight of Messi’s passing is incredible. He noted that during his time at Chelsea, Messi never scored a goal against him, though the forward did score after Mikel left the club, including goals against Thibaut Courtois and Petr Cech after the goalkeeper moved to Arsenal.
Lionel Messi has never faced England in an international game since making his debut in 2005. The Argentina captain has admitted he is looking forward to the potential clash, calling it a special game. Messi is currently leading the Golden Boot race with eight goals, tied with Kylian Mbappe, and could take the lead if he scores against the Three Lions.
Md. Kazi Bijoy is a dedicated tech enthusiast and content creator with a passion for digital innovation. With years of experience in the tech industry, he specializes in breaking down complex topics into easy-to-understand guides. When he isn’t writing, he explores the latest gadgets and researches emerging trends in the digital world.