I played against Cristiano Ronaldo and won the Champions League with Lionel Messi but my toughest opponent was forgotten Man United trialist

Today at 01:20 PM

Undoubtedly one of the game's greatest ever defenders, Jordi Alba has faced them all, but one player tops the lot.

Across an iconic career the left-back, who is still playing for Inter Miami, amassed a gargantuan 21 trophies.

Best known for his time at Barcelona where he won LaLiga six times and the Champions League, he also put in one of the European Championships' greatest performances when he was unplayable in a 4-0 final win over Italy in 2012.

With a career at the very top of the game for over a decade, Alba regularly played against icons like Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, while he even faced future teammate Lionel Messi on seven occasions when the Argentine was at his peak from 2009 to 2012.

Yet it was those formative years when he broke through at Valencia when he faced his toughest ever opponent, one he expects you've never heard of.

Speaking to MARCA, the 35-year-old said: “I’m always asked this and you don’t even know who he is.

"It was during the season when I started playing as a full-back. I remember that it was a sunny day at Mestalla… and Racing de Santander came.

"His name was Kennedy [Bakircioglu], [he had] little hair… he was flying. He made me… it was four in the afternoon, I had a terrible time."

Now aged 44, Swede Bakircioglu retired in 2018 after an interesting career. Starting out in his homeland he left for FC Twente in the Netherlands in 2005 and impressed enough that he jumped up to Ajax in 2007.

After adding a pair of trophies in Amsterdam he joined then-LaLiga side Racing for two seasons before finishing his career back home with Hammarby.

If the name does ring a bell, it's likely because Kennedy was projected to have a big career by computer game Football Manager and you may well have signed him in anticipation.

In fact, so promising was the midfielder-winger at such a young age that he even earned a trial at Manchester United in 1998.

However, then manager Alex Ferguson wasn't impressed enough to sign him, perhaps not seeing what Alba later did.

Alba would go from strength-to-strength after some early struggles at Valencia and soon became a Spain regular before returning to Barcelona.

There he became part of the wallpaper in Barca's historic rivalry with Real Madrid, and pointed out another Los Blancos star who was his toughest opponent in his later years.

Again snubbing Ronaldo, he said: “When I was already at a good level, I think the worst was [Angel] Di Maria.

"Di Maria was spectacular at Madrid, very good, but not only when it came to attacking, but also defending, he didn’t stop.

"He’s a year older than me and he still runs. He’s a player I’ve always liked a lot.”

Argentine World Cup winner Di Maria is still going strong at 36 with Benfica and recently moved up to second behind Ronaldo for the most Champions League assists with 41.

Before facing the Portuguese side with Barca, Hansi Flick called Di Maria 'one of my favourite ever players' showing that the German and Alba both share a keen eye.

Yet, unsurprisingly, no one thought to ask Flick about Kennedy Bakircioglu…