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The Spanish soccer coach and former Barcelona coach Luis Enrique criticizes Lionel Messi’s stay with the Catalans. The 50-year-old coach believes the club should have given the Argentine permission to move. “I think the clubs are above any player. Barcelona was founded in 1899 and is one of the best in the world. They have always won titles,” Enrique said before the Nations League game against Ukraine.
Luis Enrique during the international match against Germany
Messi took a 180-degree turn on Friday and announced that, contrary to all expectations, he wanted to fulfill his contract in Barcelona, which runs until 2021. However, the 33-year-old restricted that he simply wanted to avoid a legal dispute with his “heart club”. The club that surrounds president Josep Maria Bartomeu had insisted on the fixed transfer fee of 700 million euros for Messi.
“Of course there was a wonderful relationship. Leo helped Barça grow exponentially. But I would have preferred it a lot if there had been an agreement,” Enrique said. Sooner or later, Messi won’t play in Barcelona anyway. “The club will continue to win titles without Messi, just like Messi will be wonderful for many years after his departure,” Enrique said.
From 2014 to 2017 Messi played with Enrique, together they won the triple in 2015.
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