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."