YOU will struggle to find too many people associated with Middlesbrough who have fond memories of 2006’s UEFA Cup final with Sevilla. The run to the final? Unforgettable. The experience of being in Eindhoven? Unmissable. But the actual 90 minutes of the game? Unpalatable in the extreme.

Antonio Barragan’s recollections are rather different. A native of Seville, and a product of Sevilla’s youth academy, the Spanish right-back was in the process of moving from Liverpool to Deportivo La Coruna when Middlesbrough played in the most high-profile game of their history.

Playing commitments meant he was unable to make it to the Phillips Stadion, but countless friends and family members made the long trip from southern Spain to Holland.

Barragan watched from the comfort of his home, and while his career has eventually taken him to Middlesbrough via spells at Valladolid and Valencia, he continues to look back on the events of a decade ago with a great deal of affection.

“I knew about Middlesbrough before I agreed to come here, mainly because I’m a big Sevilla fan and I have really strong memories of when they played against Sevilla in that game,” said the defender, who has established himself as Boro’s first-choice right-back, having played at centre-half and left-back earlier in the campaign.

“I remember watching that game and being impressed with Middlesbrough’s run to get to the final and the way they were making such a big impression in Europe.

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“I’ve lived a lot of my life in Seville so I had a lot of family and friends who were at that game. A lot of them still talk about it now because it was a very historic moment for Sevilla.

“I was playing with Deportivo at the time – it was my third year there - so unfortunately I wasn’t able to actually be at the stadium. But I was watching on the television and I’m afraid I have to admit I was cheering for Sevilla.

“They were my club at the time so I was pleased when they won, but it’s strange that things have turned out with me playing for Middlesbrough. Hopefully, my family and friends will be able to celebrate some other big achievements here.”

It would be quite an achievement if Boro were to win this afternoon, with Aitor Karanka taking his side to the Etihad Stadium to take on a Manchester City team led by former Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola.

Barragan came up against Guardiola’s Barcelona teams on a number of occasions during his time in Spain, with a solitary victory providing precious little solace in the face of a succession of heavy defeats.

In fairness, Barcelona were wiping the floor with pretty much everyone during Guardiola’s four-year spell at the Nou Camp, and Barragan regards the current City boss as one of Spain’s greatest footballing exports of the last few decades.

“It’s very difficult to play against a team managed by Guardiola,” said the full-back. “The first thing you have to do is work a lot because his teams are so good on the ball and also work so hard when they do not have possession.

“You have to give everything if you are going to get a good result and before you do anything else, you have to match the work rate of Guardiola’s players.

“He is one of the best coaches in the world, there is no doubt about that. He was a superb player, and is probably already an even better coach. He lives and breathes football, and he demands that his teams play a certain way.

“He wants his players to try to stay on the ball at all times, and the amount of titles that he’s won just shows how good a manager he is. But we have our own manager who is showing just how good he is this season, and I am sure our manager will have a plan about how to overcome Manchester City.”

Guardiola has built on his successes on the field to become a managerial great, and Karanka is also attempting to follow up a notable playing career with an even more successful existence in the dug-out.

The Boro boss won three Champions League titles and a La Liga crown during his time as a centre-half with Real Madrid, and Barragan remembers him as a cultured ball player who would have been at home in a Guardiola-style line-up.

“I remember seeing some of his matches, particularly at (Real) Madrid, and he was the type of defender I really like,” he said. “I like the way that he tried to play football because he was a defender who always wanted to be on the ball.

“He was very successful at Real Madrid, and also spent a lot of time at Bilbao, and he had a great career as a player even before he went into management. Now, his career is getting even better because he is having success as a manager too.”

Unsurprisingly, Spanish football fans take a lot of pride in Guardiola’s managerial achievements since leaving La Liga, first at Bayern Munich, where he won three Bundesliga titles and a Super Cup, and now at City, where he masterminded a Champions League victory over Barcelona on Tuesday night.

However, Spaniards are also taking increased notice of Karanka’s work at Middlesbrough, particularly in the wake of last season’s promotion success.

“Spanish people already knew about Aitor Karanka because of his playing career and his time at Real Madrid, but I think they are looking at what he is doing at Middlesbrough and are really impressed with him,” said Barragan.

“They think he is a really good manager too now. I’m really lucky to be playing for a team that he is managing because as a player, he makes you improve. He teaches you things about the game.”