The Barcelona captain highlighted what he learned under the two coaches, making it clear that they helped him improve as a player.
Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique helped Messi improve as a player.
During his interview, Lionel Messi was full of praise for his two former Barcelona coaches, Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique. The Barcelona captain highlighted what he learned under the two coaches, making it clear that they helped him improve as a player. “Pep has something special. He makes you see things one by one: how he prepares for the matches, defending, how to attack… he told you exactly what the match would be like, how you had to attack to win”, said Messi. “I was lucky, in quotation marks, to train under Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique, the top two. They made me grow physically and mentally, as well as the tactical intelligence they’ve taught me.”
Lionel Messi had a terrible time in the summer
Pep Guardiola coached Messi from the 2008/09 season to the end of the 2011/12 campaign, during which time Barcelona have won 14 trophies. On a personal level, the Argentine has won three Ballon d’Or awards, two European Golden Boots and two Pichichis. Meanwhile, Luis Enrique spent one season less with Messi – from 2014/15 to 2016/17 – and in his spell, Barcelona raised nine trophies. Individually Messi has won one Ballon d’Or, one European Golden Boot and one Pichichi. The 33-year-old has revealed his last few months at Barcelona by submitting a transfer request via Burofax previous summer. Still, he is now focusing on Barcelona as he enters the final six months of his contract. “I’m fine today. I indeed had a terrible time in the summer,” Messi admitted in the interview.
“That was before. What happened before the summer, how the season ended, burofax and all that… Then I dragged it with me a little at the beginning of the season, but today I’m fine. I feel like I’ m seriously fighting for everything that’s ahead of us. I feel excited and I know the club is going through a tough time, at the club and team level, and everything around Barcelona is tough, but I’m looking forward to it”. During the interview, Messi did say that he wishes he could go more unnoticed at times. “I am honored for everything that I have experienced, but there are times when I would like to be anonymous,” he admitted. “I would like to enjoy visiting a street market, a cinema or a restaurant, especially when I am with my children.”