Manuel Neuer has ramped up the trash talk on Lionel Messi, plans on showing him who’s boss

One of life's great tragedies is that there simply isn't enough trash talk in football.

We love the back-and-forth that you see in boxing and mixed martial arts and feel that footballers are missing a trick when it comes to getting into the heads of their opponents. The exception to that rule, apparently, is Manuel Neuer who has broken out some top-notch smack talk ahead of Bayern Munich's trip to Barcelona tomorrow night. Speaking to L'Equipe, Neuer said:

"I have a lot of respect for Messi and for everything that he has achieved. He is very humble.

But it's crucial to show authority when we meet on the pitch and show him who's boss. I did the same in the World Cup final and it worked out pretty well.

We will be looking to do the same on Wednesday night. It is vital to obtain a position of dominance and instill respect. We have to make good use of our physical presence, our character and show a certain ruthlessness."

More of this please, perhaps Iniesta planning to make Lahm "his b**ch" or Neymar having a go at Lewandowski's facemask.