Retirement, described as the first of a sportsperson’s two deaths, can at least be reached at the right moment the right way. There was a flash of fear when he last collected the Ballon d’Or and admitted time was running out, but this may be worse. “I’ve never seen a player like him and never will,” Pep Guardiola once said. The day Messi made his first-team debut in a friendly against Porto, Pedri hadn’t celebrated his first birthday.įor so long Messi was Barcelona, even with the talent alongside him: Xavi, Andrés Iniesta, Ronaldinho and the rest. When Messi got the goal that meant he had scored more times for a single team than anyone else ever, the assist was provided by Pedri González. It is many others’ lives too, a generation of fans who haven’t known anything else and others who can hardly imagine it any more. There is regret now, too: it became his club, one he didn’t want to walk away from. How do you calculate what that means, the void it leaves, his legacy? Twenty-one years he has been at the club, Charly Rexach signing a “contract” on a napkin because losing him would be something they would “regret for the rest of our lives”. After 17 seasons, he has departed early, taking part of Spanish football with him. There will be Messi shirts, Messi chants, but no Messi. Ralf Rangnick's 4-Treble-2 Gegenpress Revolution! Watch the latest from The Football Terrace.After 18 months, 29,803 supporters will be allowed back into the Camp Nou but it will feel empty on Sunday and beyond. It comes just weeks after reports emerged suggesting he would be open to taking the vacant job at Manchester United, before Ralf Rangnick replaced the freshly departed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Old Trafford. Thus, the under-fire manager, whose contract runs for another two years, has 'lost credit' with some of the club's players due to his lack of confrontation. It's claimed that he 'strives on a daily basis' to avoid any unnecessary arguments and show 'consideration'. The report adds that others in PSG's dressing room have expressed concern that their manager is not harsh enough. It is arguably his worst start to a season since the 2005-06 campaign having failed to find the back of the net in all but one of his nine Ligue 1 outings.īut rather than pin the blame on Messi, those closest to him have dubbed Pochettino's style of play as 'too restrictive' which prevents him from playing at his free-flowing best. The 34-year-old has scored just four goals in 13 games across all competitions for Les Parisiens. The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner joined PSG during a busy summer transfer window that also saw the likes of Sergio Ramos, Georginio Wijnaldum, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes move to the French capital.Īnd while his former club Barcelona have keenly felt the loss of their best player in the club's history, the Argentina international has also found it hard adjusting to his new life in France. Pochettino, 49, finds himself under increasing pressure at the Parc des Princes despite the star-studded squad at his disposal which has cast doubt over his long-term future at the club.Īnd now his problems have been compounded further after French newspaper L'Equipe - one of the most well-respected sources of information - claimed Messi's camp are apparently unhappy with Pochettino's tactics and coaching methods this season. The Argentine manager was once hailed as the man who can deliver the French giants their first ever Champions League trophy, but he has struggled to live up to the lofty expectations so far.ĭespite finding themselves 11 points clear of Rennes at the top of the table, the nine-time Ligue 1 champions have been unable to replicate their success in Europe, where they have only won two out of their last five games. Lionel Messi's start to life at Paris Saint-Germain has taken another interesting twist after doubts were raised about Mauricio Pochettino's tactical abilities by the player's entourage, according to L'Equipe. Lionel Messi's entourage have 'doubts' about Mauricio Pochettino’s style of play