"Barça have been, are & will be a better team with Messi than without Messi"

"Barça have been, are & will be a better team with Messi than without Messi"

 Ronald Koeman valoró el papel de Messi en este inicio de temporada / | sport

The Barcelona coach spoke exclusively to SPORT about Leo's tough summer

SHORTLY after the painful defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League, Barcelona contacted Ronald Koeman. He was the man they wanted to renew the squad, to bring back hope and to take over the bench. Negotiations were easy. Koeman fulfilled his dream but the first thing he encountered was an unhappy Lionel Messi, demotivated and ready to leave the club. What did Koeman do to convince Messi to stay? What keys did he press to get him to change his mind? 

The Barça coach has revealed to SPORT in an exclusive interview how he lived those days.

When you were named coach of Barça, Messi was more out than in. You went to speak to him. What happened in that meeting? 

They'd already told me Messi was unhappy. We spoke at his house. He explained his reasons and I was honest. I told him that the only things I could change were football things: the system of play, his position on the pitch, his importance in the team. But the issues he had with the club, I could not change them. In the end, he decided to stay, but it was his decision. 

But you convinced him.

Well, we ended speaking about how to press the opposition... the sensations I had with him were always good. That's important because Messi's shown that he's an ambitious person. He has demonstrated to me that he's a person that wants to win things, be the best and continue being the best, even though he's had his problems with the club.

Does the team still depend on him too much?

I want the best for the team. And the best for the team is that Leo is good, as he is now, motivated and involved. He showed that the other day, against Real Betis, when he came on in the second half. The team has to learn to look for the best for the team, but right now, Barça have been, are and will be a better team with Messi than without Messi. 

You also had to get rid of players, including Luis Suarez. Did that hurt?

It's nicer to say to Pedri that he's going to play against Real Madrid than to communicate these types of decisions. I spoke with the club, there had to change. You can always debate everything, but at every moment I made it clear that if the player decided to stay, he would be part of the squad.

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