NUTMEGS

 

Lionel Messi left Pep Guardiola applauding in the Nou Camp stands, the football world entertained and James Milner on the turf on Wednesday night as he pulled off a stunning nutmeg on the unfortunate Manchester City midfielder. 

 The Barcelona superstar made a habit of performing the skill during his side's 1-0 Champions League win, mesmerising both the 92,000 crowd and City players including Brazilian Fernandinho. After Messi's breathtaking display, Sportsmail traces the origins of nutmegging and counts down 10 of the best of all time. VIDEO Scroll down to watch nutmegs from Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and more James Milner approaches Barcelona star Lionel Messi during their Champions League tie on Wednesday +5 James Milner approaches Barcelona star Lionel Messi during their Champions League tie on Wednesday Messi slips the ball through Manchester City midfielder Milner's legs at the Nou Camp +5 Messi slips the ball through Manchester City midfielder Milner's legs at the Nou Camp Milner slides as Messi nutmegs him and goes the opposite way during their Champions League match +5 Milner slides as Messi nutmegs him and goes the opposite way during their Champions League match Milner is left on his backside as Messi runs away from the England international with the ball +5 Milner is left on his backside as Messi runs away from the England international with the ball What is a nutmeg? A nutmeg is the technique of rolling the ball between an opponent's legs, and gains extra acclaim when the attacking player retains possession after performing the trick. Where does the word come from? The origins of the word have long been debated, with the most popular theory being that nutmegs are slang for a rather private area of the male anatomy — a notion put forward by Countdown star Susie Dent, of Dictionary Corner, who on Wednesday night tweeted: 'Nutmegging in football comes from the centuries-old slang 'nutmegs', meaning 'testicles'. In case Messi is ever interested.' However, the use of the word nutmeg to mean leg in Cockney rhyming slang has also been put forward as an explanation, while another claim is that it comes from the practice used in nutmeg exports between America and England in the 18th century, when nutmegs were such a valuable commodity that unscrupulous exporters used to mix wooden replicas into the sacks being shipped across the Atlantic. Crystal Palace's Jason Puncheon puts the ball through the legs of Tottenham's Christian Eriksen this season +5 Crystal Palace's Jason Puncheon puts the ball through the legs of Tottenham's Christian Eriksen this season Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3002176/Lionel-Messi-king-nutmeg-Barcelona-s-win-against-Manchester-City-features-10.html#ixzz3Uuw7DsC0 Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook