Ex-Barca boss doubts Messi can repeat best form.
Former Barcelona manager Gerardo Martino has hinted that Lionel Messi may not ever reach the kind of form he showed two or three years ago ever again, according to Marca.
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The Argentine international scored twice against Ajax in the Champions League this week to equal Raul’s record as the competition’s all-time leading scorer, but has not quite looked his usual self in recent times.
Messi’s form during Pep Guardiola’s time in charge of Barcelona saw him become regarded as one of the best players of all time, but the club’s declining fortunes since then have coincided with a dip in his own performances.
Martino, now in charge of the Argentina national team, has worked closely with Messi for some time now after taking the job in charge of the national team after spending last season at the Nou Camp, and he has conceded that it may be difficult for his star player to maintain the tremendous level of performances he showed at his peak.
“Any comparison of him with his best for two or three years … It is very difficult to achieve that level for so long,” he is quoted as saying. “I do not know if we have any chance of seeing him again.”
Despite not being quite at his electrifying best, Messi has managed 11 goals and 9 assists in 14 appearances for Barcelona so far this season.
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