LIVERPOOL’S Joel Matip has revealed how he unintentionally ended up spending time with a “depressed” Lionel Messi after ending his Champions League dreams.
The Barcelona superstar was left heartbroken a year ago by the Reds after an epic night at Anfield.
Joel Matip has revealed an unlikely encounter led to him seeing Lionel Messi at his lowest ebb
Liverpool defied the odds to come back from a 3-0 first-leg deficit to triumph 4-0 against the La Liga side and book their place in the final of the competition.
Matip was part of the side that pulled off that unlikely result, but as his team-mates celebrated with the Kop afterwards, his party was cut short as he was called in for a drugs test.
And after being bundled into the room, he was met by a slumped figure.
Matip told 11Freunde: “After the game, we lined up arm-in-arm in front of the Kop together and sang ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ with the fans.
“That was one of the most beautiful moments of my career, maybe on the same level as my debut for Schalke in Munich.
“I didn’t care about anything; I was floating on air after singing with the fans.”
Matip continued: “And when I came into the doping test room, there was a guy sitting there pretty depressed – Lionel Messi.
“You know each other from the pitch, but it’s not like you sit around with them every day in a small room like you’re getting coffee.
“Everyone is celebrating, and I’m sitting in a cubicle with Messi.”
Messi has since called that night on Merseyside as one of the worst in his career.
Liverpool went on to claim a sixth-European crown by defeating Tottenham 2-0 in the final.
Barcelona star Lionel Messi makes the ‘Stay at home challenge’ look easy after completing 20 kick-ups with toilet paper
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
