Bosman: Ronaldo and Messi win what they win because of me

While they have won it twice, a 1-0 defeat to Brazil’s Internacional in 2006 shows the dangers of presuming Europe’s increasing dominance of the global game will automatically equate to victory for the Champions League winners.

“We will put our heart and soul into it”, he added. “Back then he was already a great player and now he’s much more complete”.

Barring an upset in Wednesday’s first semi-final between Libertadores Cup holders River Plate and Japan’s Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Messi will come face to face with the side which nearly signed him as a teenager in his native Argentina.

“He’s the best player in the world”, he said regarding Messi.

But City are ready to rival their efforts with transfer guru Khaldoon Al Mubarak trying to pull of a move for Messi, with the Argentine’s representative’s blown away by the sum being offered.

Barcelona will be without Scolari’s fellow countryman Neymar, who is injured with a groin strain.

“We have plenty of depth in the squad, but Neymar is really important for us”.

“Neymar is more hard to defend against”. “To say we will see nothing like it again, you never know”.

What Messi thinks is the biggest change that his side have undergone is the fact that they now prefer to play more direct football and have the ability to get in front of the opposition’s goal with the help of just one or two passes. “I respect Barca a lot but I have confidence in my team”.

Lionel Messi’s Barcelona are runaway favourites to win the tournament for the third time in seven years but they know that Scolari is not going to make life easy for them.

Neymar sat out training with injury ahead of Barcelona’s Club World Cup semifinal against Guangzhou Evergrande.

The final takes place on Sunday at International Stadium in Yokohama. He scored five goals and added two assists as Pep Guardiola’s team finished top with five wins from six in the same group as Arsenal, Olympiacos and Dinamo Zagreb. The European champions, bidding to become the first team to win the competition three times, held a gentle run-out in Yokohama after being greeted like rock stars on their arrival in Japan earlier in the day.