“Do you know how many goals Messi scores like this?”, “But you’re not Messi” - Vidic shuts down Berbatov during hilarious Manchester United chat
Manchester United legend Nemanja Vidic recently reminded Dimitar Berbatov that he is not Lionel Messi in a hilarious chat. The former Red Devils teammates were talking on Rio Ferdinand Presents when the diminutive Argentinean came up in their conversation.
Vidic played alongside Berbatov for four seasons at Old Trafford, from 2008 to 2012. The two of them won quite a few trophies together, including the Premier League and the FIFA Club World Cup.
The former Manchester United stars recently joined up with another of their old teammate Rio Ferdinand for a chat. The conversation turned to the topic of False Nine, with Berbatov claiming that he had invented the position during his time at Old Trafford. He quipped:
“This was me inventing the false nine. I want people to know this. Dropping back, getting the ball and then playing [it to] my teammates."
However, Vidic immediately pointed out that the Bulgarian never followed up his pass by driving into the box. He said:
“Yeah, but you did not get back in the box afterwards.”
Berbatov responded:
“Football is all about thinking guys. Sometimes everybody is running straight to the box and then you need to calculate your movement. There’s no need to waste your energy by sprinting into the box then."
The former Manchester United skipper revealed that Berbatov used to be frustrated that no one passed him the ball in the box. He said:
“He used to get frustrated, because he told me he’s always free after making that pass [but no one passed it back to him]."
It was then that Lionel Messi's name came up. Berbatov pointed out that the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner had scored many goals in similar fashion. He stated:
“Do you see how many goals Messi scores like this?”
To which Vidic responded:
“But you’re not Messi!”
Vidic and Berbatov were both in the Manchester United team that were undone by Barcelona in the 2009 Champions League final.
How many goals has Messi scored against Manchester United?
The dimunitive Argentinean has appeared six times against Manchester United so far, all during his time with Barcelona, wining four games and losing just once. That one defeat was in the Champions League semifinals in the 2007-08 season when the Red Devils went on to win the trophy.
The two teams would meet again the following season in the Champions League final, when Barcelona came out on top. The Catalans faced their English counterparts again in the 2010-11 Champions League final, with their prodigal son guiding the LaLiga giants to glory.