Manchester United midfielder reveals how he got Lionel Messi’s shirt

While speaking to Alexis Nunes of ESPN, Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay recollected on a comical story how he had to ask for help from his teammate Sergio Romero in order to get Lionel Messi’s shirt for his collection.

Back when Barcelona faced Manchester United in the Champions League in 2019, McTominay recalled on how he was keen on getting Messi’s shirt, but how the Argentine mistook McTominay for Chris Smalling, who had elbowed him on the halfway line earlier in the match.

When asked by Nunes in the interview who he thought was the best player in the world, McTominay replied: “I’ll remove myself from that category (chuckles). No, no I’m only joking. The best player in the world? Messi, 100%. Yeah, Messi, Messi.”

He then proceeded to narrate the incident in the Champions League: “I got his shirt you know? When we played against him in 2019, Chris Smalling elbowed him and he’s got blood coming out of his nose and he thought it was me. I said to Sergio Romero, ‘Sergio can you please ask Messi for his shirt?”

“Sergio came back and said ‘he thinks you were the one that elbowed him on the halfway line’. I said ‘no, no, no, no… Tell him it wasn’t me’. Make sure I get that shirt ’cause that’s going in my bedroom. So yeah, he knows it wasn’t me. Sorry Chrissy [Smalling], but he was the one who roughed him up a bit,” added the Scot, with a laugh.

Barcelona did win the tie against Manchester United back in 2019, but aside from Messi’s two goals, the young McTominay has another souvenir to remember the Argentine superstar by.