Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has given a slightly questionable reason for not wanting Lionel Messi at Anfield.
Messi’s name has dominated headlines this summer as it looked for some time like he could be leaving Barcelona after an entire career spent at the Nou Camp.
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The Argentina international has since gone public, however, to say that he’ll be remaining with the club as they blocked his exit, in an interesting interview with Goal.
It would have been great to see Messi in the Premier League, but it seems we’ll now have to wait a little longer, if indeed there is any chance at all of that ever happening.
Any football fan in the world would surely dream of Messi signing for their club, but Carragher has stated that he’d be unsure about his suitability for Liverpool.
Discussing the 33-year-old’s future with Goal, the former Reds defender said he didn’t feel he’d fit in with the team ethic of Jurgen Klopp’s side, and might be better suited to lining up alongside other star individuals at Manchester City.
“I want Messi in the Premier League, even if that means he is playing for Man City and Liverpool would have an even tougher challenge to win the title,” Carragher said.
“I would just like to watch him every week, go to games and see him in the flesh and analyse him. I’d be delighted if City get him at some point in the next year.
“This might sound strange, but I probably wouldn’t want Liverpool to sign Messi. I just feel Liverpool are more about the team ethic than a City side that relies on individuals to produce moments of magic. Also, the financial figures we are hearing are just mind-blowing and I wonder how it would affect that Liverpool dressing room if a deal like that was done.”
This is arguably a big misunderstanding about Messi, with the forward very unlike Cristiano Ronaldo in that he contributes in many areas on the pitch, even if it’s the goals and moments of individual skill that he’s more well known for.
It’s also simplistic to say City rely on individuals for success, with Pep Guardiola possessing quality players all over the pitch who all play their part. Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero perhaps stand out a little more than others, but there rarely seems a reliance on any individual in this City side.