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Mertesacker reveals Germany's World Cup plan to stop Messi

With the Barcelona man seemingly in unstoppable form of late, a former opponent has spilled the beans on how to keep the attacker quiet

Arsenal academy manager and former Germany international Per Mertesacker has revealed the secrets behind Joachim Low's tactics to stop Barcelona and Argentina captain Lionel Messi.

The World Cup is one of the few titles that continues to elude Messi, with fans in some corners asserting that the 31-year-old cannot be named the greatest of all time unless he lifts the famous trophy.

The Rosario native did come close in 2014, however, taking Germany all the way to extra-time in the final in Brazil, but it was Die Mannschaft who would emerge victorious after Mario Gotze's dramatic strike separated the sides.