On This Day: Messi sat down Boateng; Wenger bid emotional farewell to Arsenal 😭

Hi all, welcome to All Football's On This Day! Let's find out what happened today (May 6th) in football history. If you have more stories and news that happened on this day in history, feel free to post them in the comment area and share them with AFers.

On this day in 2015 - Messi sat down Boateng during the 3-0 win against Bayern Munich

Lionel Messi gave Jérôme Boateng the moment he probably still has nightmares about as Barcelona beat Bayern Munich. It needs describing in full, partly because it contributes to the intensifying deliberations as to the greatest footballer ever. It was a masterclass of technique, acceleration, sleight of foot and composed finish. Messi’s run was so quick, so chilling that a search party almost needed scrambling to find Jérôme Boateng so lost was the centre-back. Messi feinted to go left, sending Boateng one way, before checking right. Boateng is a good defender but Messi had set him a question of physics that simply could not be answered. 

On this day in 2018 - Arsene Wenger had his last home match as a Arsenal manager.

Wenger signed off in style as they thrashed Burnley 5-0 in his last Premier League home game on Sunday with the kind of dominant performance he would have wanted after 22 years in charge. Wenger was given a guard of honour from both teams and the match officials before kickoff, and received roars of support throughout the match from the home fans, most of whom had donned their complimentary red “Merci Arsene” T-shirts.

On this Day in 2012 - Juventus won the Scudetto as their the first act of their 8 consecutive Seria champions

Despite criticism for lacking a centre-forward, a role sometimes covered by Matri, the team was able to score regularly with its other players. Juventus reached first place, and the title was certainly won on the penultimate game of the season due to a 2–0 success away to Cagliari – the first time in nine years. Juventus ended the season without any losses, breaking a record for the 20-team league format in Italy. Conte's squad also played the Coppa Italia final, losing to Napoli 2–0 — the first and only seasonal loss. This match was the last for Juventus for Alessandro Del Piero, who seven days before had scored his last goal in a 3–1 win over Atalanta.

On this day in 2009, Andres Iniesta scores a vital away goal against Chelsea.

Despair in a football match cannot come more intolerably or improbably. ­Barcelona vaulted over Chelsea in the third minute of stoppage time to seize a place in the Champions League final against Manchester United with their sole shot on target. It also stood apart because the strike into the top corner by Andrés Iniesta was exquisite after Lionel Messi had set him up on the fringes of the area. 

The referee of the semi-final meeting with Barcelona has admitted he made a series of mistakes at Stamford Bridge, accepting that he “cannot be proud” of his infamous performance. Tom Henning Ovrebo turned down four penalty appeals by Chelsea as Andres Iniesta struck a late equaliser that put Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona through to the Champions League final on away goals.

On this day in 1997 - Michael Owen became Liverpool's youngest scorer

In 1997, Owen, still only seventeen, convinced Liverpool he was ready to make his first team debut. When asked about his possible inclusion, Liverpool manager Roy Evans said bluntly: "if you are good enough you are old enough". wen's first team debut finally came against Wimbledon in May 1997, the teenager scoring his side's only goal in a 2-1 defeat. He went on to score 118 league goals for Liverpool, as well as 40 for England.

On this day in 2018 - Manchester City were officially crowned as the 2017/2018 Premier League Champions

Manchester City lifted the Premier League trophy amid jubilant scenes despite Huddersfield gaining a vital point in their battle to avoid relegation with a goalless draw at Etihad Stadium.

Walking out to a guard of honour as thousands of blue and white flags fluttered in the stands, Pep Guardiola's side had been expected to collect a routine three points, as the champions faced the 16th-placed Terriers with celebration the tone of the day.

On this day in 1998 - Inter won their third UEFA Cup, beating Serie A rivals Lazio 3-0.

For the 1998 UEFA cup, UEFA abandoned their previous two-legged format for a single match, which was played at the Parc des Princes in Paris. A crowd of 44,412 turned out to see the teams face each other for a third time that season--Lazio had gotten the better of Inter in the league, drawing 1-1 in Milan and winning 3-0 in Rome. But Inter wasted little time in staking their claim to the UEFA Cup, going up 1-0 when forward Iván Zamorano beat Lazio keeper Luca Marchegiani from close range in just the 5th minute. Zamorano nearly doubled the lead shortly after the break, but his shot rebounded off the post.

On this day in 1970 - Feyenoord became the first Dutch team to win the European Cup, beating Celtic 2-1 in the Final.

The Final was held at the San Siro in Milan. Celtic defender Tommy Gemmell scored first, putting the Scottish side ahead in the 29th minute. The lead was short-lived, however, as Feyenoord defender and captain Rinus Israël scored the equalizer in the 31st minute. The teams failed to score through the end of regulation, forcing the match into extra time. In the 117th minute, Feyenoord's Swedish forward Ove Kindvall scored the winning goal.

As title-holders the next season, Feyenoord were upset in the first round by Romanian side U.T.A. Arad.

On this day in 1983 - Dani Alves was born

Before joining Barcelona in 2008, Alves spent a successful six-year spell with Sevilla, winning two UEFA Cups and the Copa del Rey with the Andalusian side. He joined Barcelona for €32.5 million,[3] becoming the third-most expensive defender of all-time. He won the treble in his first season with the club and in the next season, won the Supercopa de España, UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup. Additionally, he helped the club to clinch another two Supercopa de España, five La Liga titles and two UEFA Champions League titles in the years that followed. Alves has held a Spanish passport since 2005.[4] Alves is the second-most decorated defender of all-time in European competitions with nine European medals, leaving him one behind Paolo Maldini on the all-time list. 

A full international for Brazil since 2006, Alves was included in their squads for two FIFA World Cups and four Copa América tournaments, winning the 2007 edition of the latter, as well as the 2009 and 2013 FIFA Confederations Cups.

On this day in 1987 - Dries Mertens was born

As a youth, Mertens played for Stade Leuven, Anderlecht and Gent, and made his debut on loan to Eendracht Aalst in the Belgian Third Division. In 2006, he moved to Dutch Eerste Divisie club AGOVV Apeldoorn, where he spent three years before a €600,000 move to Utrecht of the Eredivisie. Two years later he and teammate Kevin Strootman were transferred to PSV Eindhoven for a combined fee of €13 million, and won the KNVB Cup and Johan Cruyff Shield in 2012. In 2013, Mertens signed for Napoli for a €9.6 million fee and has since made over 200 appearances for the club. He won the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana in 2014, and was named in the Serie A Team of the Year during the 2016–17 season.

Mertens made his Belgium debut in 2011 and has since made over 70 appearances for the national team. He was also part of the nation's squads at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2016 and the 2018 FIFA World Cup, helping them to a third-place finish at the latter tournament. In 2016, he was named Belgian Footballer of the Year.

On this day in 1994 - Mateo Kovacic was born

Kovačić began his professional career with Dinamo Zagreb at the age of 16, with whom he won two consecutive league titles, before joining Inter in 2013. After the 2014–15 season, he moved to Real Madrid, where he has won the Champions League on three occasions. A full Croatian international since 2013, Kovačić represented the nation at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2016 and the 2018 FIFA World Cup, including a runner's up finish in the latter tournament.