The day false 9 Messi emerged and DESTROYED Real Madrid

On May 2, 2009, Pep Guardiola made a tactical masterstroke that would become a defining moment in modern football. Facing Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu, Guardiola deployed Lionel Messi in the "false 9" position for the first time. Instead of playing as a traditional striker, Messi was positioned deeper, allowing him to drop into midfield and exploit the spaces between Real Madrid's defense and midfield. This unexpected move created havoc for Real Madrid, as Messi's freedom to roam and link up play rendered their defensive plans ineffective.

Messi's new role was pivotal in Barcelona's stunning 6-2 victory. He scored twice and was involved in nearly every attacking move, showcasing his extraordinary vision, dribbling, and playmaking abilities. The "false 9" tactic not only maximized Messi's talents but also allowed other players like Thierry Henry and Samuel Eto'o to find more space and opportunities. This tactical innovation not only led to a historic win but also revolutionized football strategies worldwide, cementing Messi's place as one of the game's greatest and highlighting Guardiola's genius as a manager.

[tudorpaunescu]

Pep guardiola realised one thing: messi was the best forward in the world at the time, but also the best midfielder. Made sense to ask him to play in between.

[yangerjamir]

That Real Madrid team in any other league would've been dominating the league. Pep's Barca was just something else. Once in a lifetime team...true dream team.

[borderprash]

Messi looks like he has 360 degrees camera. What an amazing awareness from him to sense the tackles and just change direction. Amazing player

[hectorjones]

Messi from 2007 - 2015 was just out of space. Its not only his absurd statistics, but the way he played, the way he touches the ball. Whenever he started a dribbling I felt this rushing feeling. Not even Ronaldinho gave me that feeling. It was truly magical.

[Sarthak-bktd]

The magic man with the world at his feet.
Lionel Andres Messi

[aaagustin]

And here is why madrid fans cant stpo hating Messi...15 years later they still have nightmares with him

[shnks]

Got to 5 mins in there and realised it was still the 1st half. Messi had so many touches and dribbles and real looked exhausted.

[robert_weide]

those who say kroos or kdb or x/y/z has surpassed xavi, look at those passes in such tight spaces and close control, no one comes close, same goes with iniesta and messi is on whole new level

[robmorris]

One thing l feel is overlooked and that is the intelligence of the players around him. Henry, E'too, Xavi, Iniesta, Alves etc, their movements create space. Of course Messi is exceptional, but these guys skills make a heck of a difference. This team and next variant that came 2 years later go a long way to producing the Messi that is loved by most fans of the game. Club football has so much time to develop patterns of play. Without time to get things worked through he struggled at international level. Today he gets to let team mates help him and Argentina are reaping the rewards

[joakimwellbeck]

Sadly we can't see anything like this again.
Pure joy to watch this kind of masterpiece

[dinodd]

most world class players entire career highlights in a single game.

[storyanaksekolah]

i never skip my eyes watching barca messi, xavi and andres era.😂

[BjarneBlom]

Messi was at an insane different level back then and the years to come.
A pure joy to watch an artist like Messi perform like second to none.

[iem]

Messi is the best CAM ever. While everyone focuses on his goals, his passing is what amazes me the most

[Ramza]

This is exactly why i always said Messi should have been a mid-fielder play-maker.
He has incredible dribbling skills and speed to start plays, seriously good passing skills and the most important fact about him, due to his fame he always attracted the whole attention of the opposing team, which meant others would be more likely free to make goals.

[star_psycho.]

1:44
Dude, Messi looking for the ball even after a difficult collision with the GK😮

[drakefromstatefarm]

Xavi Messi and Iniesta in the middle was litteraly a cheat code

[samratdangal]

Todays players 9 dribble won in a whole league
Messi 20 dribbles won in 1 game 💀

[unmixedd]

Truly illegal stuff this. He should've been suspended after this performance. Playing against Prime Madrid is one thing, but the threat levels in 1 game are off the fucking charts.

[nenram.]

I was a new fan to football at this time but I swear I won't ever forget this moment. This was the moment the golden era of beautiful football was born.