Messi mindful not to let final moment pass

For most players who reach a UEFA Champions League final, it is a moment which blends joy with tension, ambition with nerves, but for Lionel Messi a whole different range of emotions is almost certain to come into play.

Greatest disappointment
Having been instrumental in FC Barcelona's run to the showpiece against Manchester United FC, the gifted playmaker will surely find his thoughts catapulted back to one of the darkest nights of his career, three years ago against Arsenal FC in Paris. Messi had battled for weeks to be fit for the Stade de France final and thought he had won the race after being given playing time in the Liga during the run-up. It was not to be. Excluded from Frank Rijkaard's squad, the Argentinian watched from the stands while goals from Samuel Eto'o and Juliano Belletti undid ten-man Arsenal to give Barça only their second European Champion Clubs' Cup.

Huge regret
Aged only 18 but having scored in the group stage and played in both first knockout round ties against Chelsea FC, Messi was so devastated at not having felt "a part of the final" that he refused invitations from his team-mates to join them on the pitch, lift the cup and share in the celebrations. Anger, hurt and immaturity were a powerful mix that night and, to this day, he regrets it. "I know now that I need to enjoy this final much more than before, because I think there are many players who don't have the opportunity to win the Champions League," he told uefa.com. "That's what makes it special, but it's also true that if you want to win it, you have to play and perform during the whole Champions League season. I believe it's a beautiful opportunity to be able to play every game, just as it is throughout the year, but it would be even more special if we could win the final, with me playing in it."

Phenomenal talent
His skills alone give evidence that Messi is a phenomenon, while those who love statistics will note that he has averaged a goal every other game in his 32 appearances in the continent's leading club competition. Four strikes clear of Camp Nou colleague Thierry Henry and five ahead of Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov and Cristiano Ronaldo, he is also on track to become the tournament's youngest ever top scorer. However, the European season started without Messi after Barcelona initially attempted to prevent him missing the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round by participating in the 2008 Olympics. "[Josep] Guardiola backed me," explained the Beijing gold medal winner. "Despite all the talk about me going or not going, especially in Argentina, for me it was important to go and to win the medal. And I have to thank Guardiola for letting me go. It was his decision and he thought it would be the best for me. I hope I can pay him back by winning this title."

Open game
The Catalan outfit did not fall too far short of doing just that last season, ultimately bowing out to United in the semi-finals. Messi is convinced that Barça's opponents in Rome will barely resemble the restrained side for whom Paul Scholes's solitary goal won the tie. "Last year they waited for us to come out and play then went on the counterattack," recalled the striker, who has already celebrated Liga and Copa del Rey success this month. "But I think a final has a distinct flavour and they will perform strongly, as they have done all this year and last because they have quality players. I believe it will be an open match and hopefully more open than the [semi-final] against Chelsea."

Ronaldo admiration
One of those "quality players", of course, is Cristiano Ronaldo, and few can wait to see two of football's greatest entertainers come head to head. "Anyone who likes football admires a player like him," said Messi. "But I think it's about two great teams and it won't just depend on one player. It's not about Cristiano playing better than me or me playing better than him. We both want to be the champions, each one with his own team, and lift the cup."