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Former Barcelona manager Quique Setien has said it was “difficult to manage” Lionel Messi during his brief and unsuccessful spell at the club.
Setién took over at Barça in January but was fired in August following the team’s 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
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Before that humiliation, Messi publicly described Barça as “weak” and “inconsistent” with Real Madrid, which has already won the League.
“It is true that there are players who are not easy to handle, among them, Leo [Messi]”Setién told the newspaper El País.” It is difficult when someone is used to winning.
“And when it’s inside him, it generates anxiety when you can’t. [win], it hurts you. The demand that exists today in football is brutal, it has saturated him and others who need to win definitively.
“You also have to take into account that he is the best footballer of all time. How am I going to change him? [at Barca] They have accepted it for what it is for many years and have not changed it. “
He added: “There is another facet beyond the player and it is more difficult to handle. Much more difficult. It is something inherent in many athletes that can be seen in the Michael Jordan documentary [“The Last Dance”]. You see things you don’t expect.
“The [Messi] he is very reserved and only shows you the things he wants you to see. He doesn’t talk much. “
In August, Messi announced his desire to leave Barça but the Argentine international turned upside down when the Catalan giants demanded his € 700 million buyout clause, with Messi tied to the club until June 2021.
“There are millions of people who think that Messi, or any other player, is more important than the club or the coach,” added Setien.
“This player [Messi]Like others around him, he has been winning titles for 14 years, winning everything.
“After my departure, one thing that is clear to me is that at certain times I should have made other decisions, but there is something above you: the club and the fans. They are above a president, a player, a coach. I respect. to them [fans] and you have to do what is best for the club. “
Despite everything, Setién does not regret his time at the Camp Nou.
“The experience in Barcelona has been extraordinary,” he said. “I had the opportunity to experience something unique. I told the players that I had never been in a dressing room like that, that I was with the best players in the world.”
