Lionel Messi: Liverpool star James Milner reveals that Messi called him the donkey during the semi-final tie between the two teams.
Barcelona’s fate was immediately overturned, when they became the victim of a historic 4-3 comeback by Liverpool against Barcelona in the Champions league semi-final.
Despite having a three goal advantage over Liverpool after the first leg, Barcelona were deemed to qualify for the finale of the prestigious tournament.
However, the horror struck the Catalan giants as the Kopites scored four goals past Marc-Andre Ter Stegen to make the aggregate score 4-3 on the board.
Furthermore, according to Daily Mail, James Milner has revealed that the Barcelona star called him a “donkey”, while the intensity was at the peak during the first leg.
“He wasn’t happy,” Milner told the Daily Mail. “He was giving me plenty in Spanish going down the tunnel at half-time as well. He was calling me ‘burro’. It translates as donkey but I think it’s also used in Spanish football as a general term for someone who goes around kicking people.
“I asked him if he was all right, but he wasn’t having it. I don’t think he realised I understood his Spanish. He said: “That foul you did, that’s because I nutmegged you”.
“I left him to it at that point and went into the changing room. Look, I’ve only got admiration for him. He has earned the right to say what he wants.”
“The stuff he did in that game, stuff he has done his whole career, it makes him tough to play against. If you try and stop him, you can’t be scared of being made to look foolish. I’ve done it. I’ve been nutmegged by him and it has been viewed a million times.
“I wasn’t the first and I won’t be the last. He’s an incredible player. But with players like that, you have to let them know you’re there and not let them have everything their own way.
“You just need to try to disrupt their rhythm. You don’t want to hurt him but it’s a physical game and, if he’s running the game, you try and knock him out of his stride. It’s part of the game, the mental side.”
It seems that Lionel Messi went overboard while intimidating Jurgen Klopp’s side, while the Blaugranas had a significant advantage over the Reds.
However, in the end it backfired in the second leg. Since then Barcelona’s season went to a downhill as Ernesto Valverde’s side lost the Copa Del Rey final against Valencia too.
How twitter reacted
https://twitter.com/AnfieldHQ/status/1132415661295247362
https://twitter.com/WeekendSport/status/1132615615234084865
Lionel Messi called James Milner a ‘donkey’ during Liverpool’s Champions League clash with Barça
After hitting the deck, he squared up to Milner but the LFC midfielder, who can speak Spanish, has revealed that the Argentine continued his verbal tirade in the tunnel at half-time. pic.twitter.com/IncfpWW5nD
— LIVERPOOL FC MAGIC (@liverpool_magic) May 25, 2019
https://twitter.com/CityLuDee/status/1132599394824540160
https://twitter.com/Samarious4/status/1132580733955055616
What’s next?
Liverpool will face Tottenham Hotspurs in the finale of the Champions league final. Whereas, with Copa Del Rey defeat against Valencia, Barcelona’s season is officially over.
