How Chelsea stopped Messi in 2012

Former Chelsea defender Ashley Cole is undoubtedly one of the greatest left-backs in the history of football as he has gone on to face the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Ronadinho.

Cole has now opened up on how he stopped Lionel Messi who is undoubtedly one of the greatest footballer when he faced the Argentine as a Chelsea player.

The former England international stressed during an interview with Goal as part of the Nissan UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour that stopping Lionel Messi does not require just a player effort.

According to Ashley Cole who went on to play in MLS and the England Championship the team effort was massive when it came to stopping players like Messi, Chelsea had a great team understanding and togetherness.

The talented left-back noted that the midfield was integral in that regard as it certainly wasn’t just him as a player that stopped Lionel Messi.

Ashley Cole added that he wasn’t blowing his trumpet there by pointing out that Lionel Messi must be stopped and so the whole team must take credit for a job well done.

Messi recently proved why he’s being ranked as the best footballer in football history when he broke the record set by Pele by scoring his 644 goals for Barcelona.