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09th May 2015

Jose Mourinho says Messi would win Champions League with any English top four team

Jose's a fan...

Ben Kenyon

Jose Mourinho believes Lionel Messi would help any of the Premier League’s top four win the Champions League.

The Chelsea boss was at the Camp Nou to see the little Argentine ruthlessly dispatch Bayern Munich on Wednesday with two goals including that beautiful chip.

And Mourinho believes Messi would be the difference for his side or any of England’s top teams.

“I think this guy makes the gap by himself,” he said. “You have doubts that Man City with Messi can win the Champions League?

“Or Arsenal with Messi can win the Champions League? Or Chelsea with Messi can win the Champions League?

“Or Man United with Messi can win the Champions League? Don’t you think? I think.

“One thing is a team; another thing is a team with Messi. It is a different story.”

Mourinho believes Messi could even win football’s biggest prize with some bloke called Anthony.

“He played a Champions League final with [Pep] Guardiola, he is normally going to play in this season’s Champions League final with Luis Enrique,” he continued.

“If, one day, he plays for Anthony, Anthony will go to a Champions League final with him. When people analyse teams, you have to remember that this boy makes everything different.”

He might be the greatest player anyone has ever seen, but old Jose says he knows how to keep a lid on him.

“Every time I played against Messi, I spent hours studying and trying to stop him,” he said.

“The best way to do it is man-to-man because that is better than involving everyone. When you go man-to-man, you go with similar power – although man-to-man with him is an impossible job.

“Every time I was thinking about how best collectively – I am not saying stop him – to give him a difficult match.

“It is not about stopping him but giving him a difficult match. That is the best you do against him.”

(H/T The Guardian)