Ghanaian youngster Sabit Abdulai reveals ‘shock feeling’ playing against Messi in La Liga
Ghanaian midfielder Sabit Abdulai has revealed his excitement playing against Barcelona legend Lionel Messi in the Spanish La Liga.The midfielder whose meteoric rise has seen him make his top-flight debut this season for Getafe despite arriving on loan from second tier side Extremadura.Abdulai was a second half substitute when Getafe lost 5-2 to Barcelona on April 22.Although the Azulones lost to the Catalans, the 21-year-old couldn’t belive he was playing against Messi, Antoine Griezman, Sergio Busquets and Gerrard Pique.
“Before the Barcelona match, I had the feeling that I was going to get maybe 5-10 minutes playing time but when the coach made the selection, he kept one or two best midfielders on the bench,” Abdulai told BBC Sport Africa.
“So I told myself maybe even if there were going to be substitutions it would be them because they are the starters.
“When we went for half-time in the dressing room the coach mentioned my name that I should go and warm up. I said: ‘Me?!’ He said: ‘Yes, you.’ I was surprised. I can’t even describe it. I was overwhelmed.
“When the referee whistled for the start of the second half, my mind was focused on the game but when I was getting close to [Lionel] Messi, I was asking myself: ‘Is this Messi I am going to meet?’. I couldn’t believe it.
“Me against Messi, (Antoine) Griezmann, (Gerard) Pique, (Sergio) Busquets… Although the result wasn’t good for us, I felt happy playing against those kind of players.”
