23/07/2025
🗣️ Interviewer:
"You played in five Champions League finals and lost in 2004, 2009, 2011, and 2015.
Which defeat hurt the most?"
🇫🇷 Patrice Evra:
"Rome, 2009. That one still hurts. You know why?
Because we were too arrogant.
We walked into that game thinking it would be easy.
We had just won the Premier League. We were confident. Too confident.
And then Pep Guardiola humbled us."
"Messi was on my wing, I was marking him.
Suddenly, I see Eto’o drifting over to my side.
I said, ‘Bro, you’re a striker… what are you doing here?’
He looked at me and said, ‘Sorry, my brother. Pep told me to stay with you. Even if you go to the toilet, I must follow you.’
I laughed, but deep down I knew we were in trouble."
"Then they scored the first goal.
And from there… it was like chasing shadows.
Xavi. Iniesta. Busquets.
That midfield didn’t run — they floated.
They passed us to sleep. You press one, another pops up.
You press again… and now you're just tired, watching the ball move faster than your thoughts."
"And we had Anderson in midfield. Bless him. But that wasn’t fair."
That 2009 Barça team didn’t just beat us.
They destroyed our confidence, exposed our tactics, and left us questioning our career.
