Everyone knows that Lionel Messi is one of the greatest players of all time.In fact, many believe he is the greatest.With six Ballon d’Or awards to his name and 627 goals for Barcelona and winning 34 trophies for the club, it’s difficult to disagree with that theory.Given the plethora of incredible things the Argentine has produced during his career, it’s hard to pick one stand out moment.That Diego Maradona-like goal against Getafe? That header against Manchester United in the Champions League final? That last minute winner in El Clasico and then that celebration?All of the above are iconic Messi moments.But perhaps the most iconic moment happened on this day five years ago.Let’s take you back to Barcelona vs Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-final. By now, you probably know what’s coming…It’s just a shame Jerome Boateng - one of the world's best defenders at the time - didn’t.
Messi picked up the ball in a dangerous position and ran at the German defender, who backed off into his own penalty area.
Messi dummied to cut inside onto his left foot before quickly ducking back onto his right. It left Boateng twisting and turning and tumbling to the ground in comical fashion.
Messi ensured that Boateng would become victim of memes for years to come with a delightful right-footed dink over the onrushing Manuel Neuer.
Sensational.
Social media may not have been quite so popular back in 2015 but that didn’t stop Boateng being the subject of some quite hilarious memes in the coming days, weeks, months and years.
In fact, just last week, Boateng was conducting a Q&A when he was asked about that Messi moment.
One fan asked: "What was going through your head when Messi did THAT to you. You know what I'm talking about #AskJerome."
And to his credit, Boateng acknowledged the tweet with a valid point: "Honestly I would love to see each one of you defending against Messi."
Maybe we should give Boateng a break after celebrating the fifth birthday of Messi breaking his ankles…