TURIN // An alien, an extraterrestrial, the god of football – just some of the descriptions the Juventus players have used to describe Lionel Messi as they prepare to try to stop the Barcelona star in Saturday’s Uefa Champions League final.
But stop him they must if Juventus are to have a hope of winning Europe’s elite club competition for the first time since 1996.
The match pits the world’s best outfield player against arguably the world’s best goalkeeper in Gianluigi Buffon and it will be the first time the two greats of football meet on the pitch.
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Messi is attempting to make history by becoming the first player to score in three Champions League finals, while Buffon is hoping to add a first Champions League winners’ medal to his glittering haul of trophies – after losing the 2003 final with Juventus.
“Messi is an extra-terrestrial who plays with us humans,” Buffon said. “So we hope that on June 6 he returns to earth and becomes a human too.”
Juventus full-back Stephan Lichtsteiner was more positive, urging his fellow defenders to draw on their semi-final experience against Barcelona’s La Liga rivals Real Madrid.
Juventus beat Real Madrid 2-1 at home and progressed following a 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu.
“One of the best players in the history of football,” Lichtsteiner said of Messi. “It’s difficult to stop him for the whole 90 minutes ... We’ll defend as a squad, winning our individual duels and trying not give him too much space.”
Messi has scored a staggering 58 goals for Barcelona this season, but he is just one part of a fearsome attacking trio. Messi, Neymar (38 goals) and Luis Suarez (24) have scored 120 times between them this season, making them the most prolific front line in history.
“What do I think about when I see that front three? Applauding,” Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci said.
“No, obviously the front three scare anyone but Barca isn’t just those three up front but a collective of footballers which play for each other. That’s why we have to be perfect in defence because we also have weapons to hit them with and do them harm.
“We know that if we let our guard down the slightest, anyone can hurt us. But if we remain focused from the first to the last second, we can really make history with this club.”
“I think it’s the strongest attacking trio in the world,” Buffon said. “They have an offensive power which is certainly scary but we also have weapons, not maybe to stop them with but to limit them a bit.”
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