My view is that you show Messi one side or the other, and if he goes past you, he goes past you. But if he slips it through your legs, then you have to obstruct him and take the foul. Just don't ever let yourself be nutmegged.
— Paul Scholes
English clubs should not be pleased to go to places like Barcelona and get away without a thrashing. They should be able to compete. They have the resources.
I got sent off a few times in my life, but I never lost my head. I mistimed tackles, and I made mistakes.
In my years at United, I witnessed some signings who, over their careers, transformed the fortunes of the team. From Eric Cantona, when I was an apprentice, to Dwight Yorke, Ruud van Nistelrooy, and Wayne Rooney. These were great footballers who became great United players.
Our modern coaching culture is not to put too much pressure on any one performance, to let an individual flourish over time.
I do wonder whether the bigger the game is, the more the risks that David Luiz decides to take.
On my mum Marie's side, my nana was from the Republic of Ireland, and my granddad was from the north. Lots of families in Manchester have strong Irish connections, but it never occurred to me to play for anyone other than England.
Little details about young footballers catch your eye when you have been around a big club for a long time. At first, it can be minor things, like the way certain young players stand out from the group when the academy lads cross paths with the senior team on their way to training in the morning.
As players, we were paid to do a job we loved - in my case, at the club I supported. And nothing I did could be allowed to interfere with that. The manager would not have permitted it.
There were players I shared a dressing room with who didn't like each other. You don't have to talk to each other. You just need to win matches.
I worked with many great assistants to Sir Alex Ferguson over the years. Yet sometimes a manager's second-in-command is more suited to that role than any other. You confide in them - you tell them things that you would not tell the manager - and they are that bridge between the boss and the players.
St James' Park was always, in the course of my career, a great place to play football, for the wildness of the crowd and the no-holds-barred football that both my team, Manchester United, and Newcastle would play.
I don't know why anyone would want to be a goalkeeper. It is a hard position to do well.
As a striker, as I originally was, and then an attacking midfielder, it has always been my aim in life to embarrass goalkeepers: to dominate them, to force them into mistakes.
I am always loath to assign goalkeepers too much importance, but you have to make an exception for the greats.
I suppose I should have realised that the very fact I was still playing for United at 38 years old was a sign that there was not enough pressure on us senior players from those coming into the side.
Sometimes fear can bring performances out from you.
Let me tell you what it is like playing against Messi. You are up against a footballer who can take the ball either side of you, and you have no idea which side that might be from any hint about his body-shape.
When I finally quit for the second time in the summer of 2013, I had accepted that this really was the end, and, having got over that, the move into retirement was a lot easier.
The first time I retired, only Sir Alex Ferguson and I knew that the last league game of the 2010-11 season against Blackpool was to be my final game at Old Trafford. I was a little bit sad, but I am not one for tears. The end of a career comes to us all, and there is not a lot you can do about that.
For any footballer who plays for Real Madrid in the modern era, the prospect of leaving the club must feel like a step down no matter where they go - but it does not have to be like that.
There are times in the career of every young English footballer when they simply need to take their chance to establish themselves.
At United, we like to have wingers who give the team width and pace.
There was no better manager at developing young players than Sir Alex. He knew just when to bring them in and take them out, and he believed in Paul Pogba. For once, in Paul's case, it did not work out. The timing was wrong, and the difference between expectation on the player's side and the manager's idea of his development did not match up.
From United's point of view, it is always difficult to tell just when a young footballer is going to mature into a first-class professional ready to play at the highest level, but the story of how Pogba slipped away from United has more than one strand to it.
For my whole career, I concentrated on that cycle of games from August to May and being mentally and physically ready.
I like to watch batsmen who will entertain and, as things stand, an opening spell from Jimmy Anderson is about as good as it gets.
As a club, there was never any middle ground with Newcastle. They were as high as the sky or in a pit of despair.
The way a top team develops means that once you have won the league title, the natural step is to try to win the Champions League.
The best goalkeeper I played with at United was Schmeichel. He was a phenomenon in training, never mind on match days. He just never wanted to concede, and he would do everything to stop you scoring.
As a young footballer at United, Steve Bruce was one of the senior pros I really admired.
Pirlo is a cool customer who does things in his own time. On the pitch, he just looks so relaxed, no matter what is going on around him. He is one of those greats who looks like he could run a midfield with a glass of red wine in one hand.
Let me be clear: I am sick of having to criticise the club which I gave my life to as a footballer.
I played for 20 years for Sir Alex Ferguson, and he could be a scary man.
We played 63 games in the treble-winning season of 1999, and I cannot remember feeling tired once. We won the league title with the last game of the season, and along the way, we knew that in any game we could miss out on this chance of a lifetime to win all three. We had 22 players who were ready to be called on at any moment.
The end of a career comes to us all, and there is not a lot you can do about that.
All good players need to be appreciated.
At some point, a young player has to grasp the opportunity and make himself undroppable.
You have to be careful when you time a move to one of the biggest clubs. Occasionally, these young players do not realise what a good thing they are on to when they know that they will be playing every week.
When I watch Jurgen Klopp's Borussia Dortmund side, I see a manager who is determined to play in his opponent's half, who is committed to attacking football, and, from the way he conducts himself on the touchline, is clearly an interesting, charismatic personality.
At first sight, Pogba was notable for his size and physicality, and when you got to know him, there was also a confidence about him.
I would never do anything to damage United, whoever the owners might be, and I am sure that no United fan would want me to do that.
I never wanted to lose my place in the United team, much less my place at the club. What went on beyond the pitch was none of my business.
When a team is relegated, a new leader can help turn the page at a club.
At United, my United, we had been honed into a ruthless team who played great football but, ultimately, were there to win football matches and league titles. At Newcastle, they could certainly play on their day, and the crowd was formidable, but there was a weakness - a vulnerability that you could seek out.
We know Mourinho can win league titles - he is brilliant at it - but how long can he do it at one club?
That is the issue with signing young players from other big European football nations - at some point, they will want to go home.
Peter Schmeichel could make the goal look much smaller when you glanced up to hit a shot.
Playing against Messi, as I've said before, is as tough a test of your concentration as any in football. At any moment, he can take the mickey out of you. Physically, it is demanding, but mentally even more so. You cannot switch off.
You knew where you stood with Sir Alex Ferguson.
