Managing Barcelona Star Lionel Messi Is A Thankless Task, Claims Former Boss

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Gerardo Martino believes that it is near impossible to be Lionel Messi’s manager…

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Former Barcelona boss Gerardo Martino, who has recently been made the new head coach of Argentina, has claimed that stars like Lionel Messi are virtually unmanageable.

Martino, who managed Messi at Barcelona, has slammed the media scrutiny directed at those who manage such superstars, claiming the joy is taken away from coaching such talent.

Quoted in the Daily Mail, Martino suggests the enormous pressure and constant questioning surrounding Messi means coaches will be criticised regardless of the talisman’s performances.

Messi suffered a groin injury during the Catalan side’s match with Villareal on Sunday, and was therefore made unavailable for Argentina’s international friendly against Germany, which is taking place this evening.

Speaking ahead of the World Cup Final rematch, Martino said: “When you get the chance to coach a footballer like Leo it’s very difficult to be exempt from comments and rumours.

“In our time together at Barcelona, it was said he was saving himself for the World Cup. But in La Liga he scored about 30 goals. There were always questions about Leo, if he scored three goals then why had he scored three goals? If he scored one, then why had he only scored one? And if didn’t score at all, it was the same.”

According to the source, Barcelona’s talisman was a late withdrawal from the squad to play Joachim Low’s men in the friendly having picked up an injury on Sunday and Martino revealed national team doctors will travel to Catalunya to check up on his injury after Wednesday’s game.

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