Barcelona legend, Lionel Messi has reportedly named Pep Guardiola and Ronaldinho as his two most influential figures at the club.
According to Football Espana, the Argentinian superstar had a rare interview with MD as he expressed how much he misses the supporters at Camp Nou. He also named two individuals who had the most influence on him throughout his time there.
Messi and his family moved to Barcelona when he was just 13 years old. He played for the team for 21 years before leaving in 2021 to join Paris Saint-Germain.
Messi became Barcelona’s greatest player ever after making his first appearance for the first team in 2004. In 778 games, he scored an incredible 672 goals and provided 303 assists.
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“I think there are two that marked me a lot for different reasons. Pep, because I had him as a coach for many years and we achieved incredible things that we would never have imagined.”
“And Ronaldinho, because the way he welcomed me, how he helped me, helped me a lot in my first moments in the first team.
“I also remember a lot of Andres (Iniesta) or Xavi as teammates, and the three who play with me here in Miami (Busquets, Alba and Suarez), who are also friends. And of course, a special mention for Tito Vilanova, who we miss so much.”
Under Tito Vilanova’s tutelage, Barcelona achieved a record number of points in La Liga during the 2012–13 season. However, his life was sadly cut short by throat cancer, which ultimately led to his death in 2014 at the age of 55.
At the youth level, Vilanova had also trained Lionel Messi, Gerard Pique, and Cesc Fabregas at the Masia academy.
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