MADRID, 14 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Argentine international Leo Messi has assured that the Spanish soccer team “recognizes” the style of Luis Enrique, in addition to explaining that “la Roja” “is clear about what he plays for” despite being “very young”, and He believes that he will be the “protagonist” in his matches at the World Cup in Qatar.
“His team is greatly recognized, this selection belongs to him. I, who met him and worked with him, know what he is and you realize that it is what he wants,” he said in an extensive interview with the program ‘Universo Valdano ‘ from Movistar+. “It is a very young team but it is clear to what he plays, that he gets the ball out. The players are going to be protagonists whatever the rival,” he added.
The ex-Barcelona striker also stated that he had “a spectacular relationship” with the Asturian coach during his spell at FC Barcelona. “I had a spectacular relationship with Luis Enrique until the last day. When he told us that he wanted to leave, we asked him to stay, not to leave, that we were fine despite having been eliminated by Juventus. It was a part of my very important career, like Guardiola’s”, he stressed.
In this sense, he downplayed the famous anger between the two in a match at Anoeta. “I was coming back from Argentina after vacation and we were playing at the beginning of January. I ended up going to the bank and we had an argument that lasted a while. I am a person who reacts the way he reacts, I don’t control anything and the second I regret not having thought about it more I am like that, I was never false, I was wrong thousands of times and I will continue to be wrong, “he said.
Regarding the Barça of the sextet, Messi stressed the importance of Pep Guardiola in everything that happened. “It was an extraordinary stage because everything happened: that Guardiola comes with what he taught us, a unique generation of players… It was impressive to go to play anywhere knowing that we were going to beat whoever it was, and in the way that we did. We had painful defeats, but we had confidence. If I regret something at that time, it is not having enjoyed it more, from day to day, from each training session…”, he confessed.
“We did it so easily and it was so natural… With the passage of time you realize that it was something unique. Guardiola did a lot of harm to football, because it seemed so easy! You realize what we did. Guardiola has something special, especially to watch the games”, he continued. “Guardiola was something special. Luis Enrique is very similar, especially in the way of preparing the matches; he had more or less the same philosophy,” he continued.
In another order of things, the ex-azulgrana pointed out the 2005 Joan Gamper Trophy as the game that made him known to the general public and also to FC Barcelona itself. “That Gamper changed the image of the club towards me,” he said, before talking about the reception of players like Ronaldinho or Deco. “Ronaldinho, Deco, Silvinho, Motta, the people of the house like Xavi, Iniesta, Valdés, Puyol… They adopted me as one more. The way they treated me from the first day was spectacular”, he affirmed.
He also talked about his first contacts with the albiceleste. “I remember saying to my dad ‘we have to do something so they know I’m here’. In the Under-17 tournament, in which Argentina lost to Spain, the coach asked Cesc Fàbregas, who scored two goals, for me. That’s how I got to know me in Argentina and I went to two friendlies,” he said.
In addition, he remembered the worst moments with Argentina. “Although I always felt the affection of a large part of Argentines, another questioned me; people gave their opinions about everything I did. In 2006 I had not played with Germany and they began to criticize me; at one point the game was stopped, I tied a booty and they stayed with me. That’s when they started hitting me. 2007 was very good, but we lost the Copa América final against Brazil”, he recalled, before recalling his tears after winning the Copa América 2021. “There were so many years, so many disappointments and lost endings…”, he stated.