A current Wolves player can boast a Man of the Match award against PSG, and also marked Messi during his Ligue 1 debut.
Although they never got it right in the Champions League, PSG’s front line of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi was a daunting proposition for any player.
But during the 21/22 Ligue 1 season, a Stade Reims midfielder stood out at the Parc des Princes despite falling to a 2-0 defeat.
Two seasons prior, he won a Man of the Match award in the same fixture, and now a Wolves player, he reminisces over that time in his career.
Marshall Munetsi describes facing Lionel Messi in his Ligue 1 debut
Marshall Munetsi has been solid during his time at Wolves. His work rate is second to none in the middle of the park, and he can cause anyone a headache.
Talking with former player Mike Morton, Munetsi shared his experience on playing against Messi in his first game since leaving Barcelona.
He shared the assignment that was given to him, saying: “The coach came to me before the game and was like, ‘You’re the only guy that I can trust to keep an eye on Messi. Make sure that he doesn’t get comfortable on the ball.'”
Munetsi isn’t one to shy away from a challenge, but he also recognises and respects the magic Messi can conjure.
He continues: “You get coaches who trust you to make certain decisions when it comes to players that you know that even if he doesn’t touch the ball for 30 minutes of the game, when he touches it once or twice, he can make a difference.”
The Zimbabwe international minimised Messi’s impact on the game and put in a solid performance, winning 10/15 duels, making 91% of his passes and coming painfully close to an equaliser but for a marginal offside.
Marshall Munetsi got Man of the Match against PSG as well
Messi’s debut for PSG wasn’t Munetsi’s first quality outing against the French giants.
In 2019, Reims travelled to Parc des Princes, where they emerged 2-0 victors as Munetsi was awarded Man of the Match.
He remembers it fondly: “It was really a big special moment because when you know a young kid, you also look up to those players, you also look up to those occasions playing at the Parc des Princes and also being able to win.
“That was like the best moment of my life.”
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Clearly, Munetsi likes the big occasion, taking on the challenge of marking the very best.
That’s something that could come in handy for Vitor Pereira this season.
Wolves have some improving to do in order to remain competitive in the Premier League this season, and Munetsi getting back to this kind of level defensively could go a long way towards that goal.