Ex-Barcelona coach Setien: Messi not easy to manage | OneFootball

Former Barcelona coach Quique Setien has spoken of the difficulties managing Leo Messi.

The 62-year-old came in to replace Ernesto Valverde at the Camp Nou in January 2020 and was in charge for seven months, with his last game being the club's infamous 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

He told El Pais: "There are players that aren't easy to manage, and Leo is one of them.

"You also have to remember that he's the best player in history and who am I to try and change him as a player? I can't do anything if those at the club have accepted him for how he is and haven't changed him for years.

"It's not just the player that you have to manage, there another side and that is much more complicated. It's something which is built into many sportspeople like we saw in the Michael Jordan documentary [The Last Dance]. You see things that you don't expect to see.

"He's very reserved but he makes you see the things that he wants. He doesn't talk much, but he looks.

"I've experienced it. I've had enough experiences to know exactly what this guy and all the others are like.

"Since leaving I know myself that at certain moments other decisions had to be made, but there's something which is more powerful than you: the club. What's more powerful than the president, the player and the coach are the club and the fans.

"Those are the ones you owe the most respect to and you have to do what's best for them. There are millions of people who think that Messi, or any other player, is more important than the club and the coach. This player, and those around him, have been winning everything for 14 years.

"Messi is the best of all time. There are been over great players who have been really good, but no one has had the consistency that he has over the years."