Rio Ferdinand has revealed the hilarious and harsh way Sergio Busquets made fun of him during Barcelona’s 2011 Champions League final win.
Manchester United came up short against the power of Pedro, Lionel Messi, and David Villa, losing 3-1 at Wembley despite a Wayne Rooney goal.
It was a humbling night, with Pep Guardiola’s Barca having 19 shots to United’s four, and 63 per cent possession. United struggled to get near them, committing 16 fouls.
Ferdinand has revealed how Busquets mocked him and his centre-back partner Nemanja Vidic as they resorted to long, direct balls.
‘I remember I picked up the ball in a bit of a scuffle with Busquets – it was late on – they were winning,’ he told the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet.
Rio Ferdinand has revealed how Sergio Busquets mocked him and Nemanja Vidic in the 2011 Champions League final
Busquets (holding trophy) made fun of the centre-backs for playing long balls that game
‘I took the ball off him and the referee blew the whistle or whatever and he went: “You, Vidic, boom, boom boom,” like “Long ball, long ball, long ball.”
‘I almost laughed. I felt so embarrassed. I’ve never been so embarrassed on the pitch.’
It was a bitter pill to swallow, especially as this would become the second time they lost to Barcelona in three years in the Champions League final.
In 2009, Sir Alex Ferguson’s great side were thwarted in Rome, undone by the brilliance of Xavi and condemned by strikes from Samuel Eto’o and Messi.
Ferdinand reflected on those finals with a tinge of regret.
‘Both them finals we played pressing really high and our game around that time probably wasn’t that against the big teams in Europe,’ he added.
‘Lyon away was a hard game back then and other teams we used to play. We used to be a bit more solid.’
Following the second defeat, he, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, and Rooney could be seen debriefing the match.
Lionel Messi scored as Barcelona beat United 3-1, their second triumph over the Mancunians in the final in three years
He added: ‘I remember after the game going up to watch them get the trophy, it was me, Giggsy, Scholesy and I think Wazza might have been there.
‘Everyone does that now [hand over the face], we were the start of that. We were going: “Let’s get off this pitch, f***ing hell, we’ve been embarrassed.”‘
Ferdinand was speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet.
