Motta: Messi's dad told me off for a challenge in training!
The PSG midfielder looked back on his years at Barça
Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Thiago Motta will retire at the end of the season to work as a coach at the club's academy.
In an interview with Gazzetta Dello Sport, he has looked back at his career, including his time as Barcelona player between 1999 and 2007.
Motta came through the club's B team and went on to play for the first team, emerging at a similar time to the likes of Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi.
The Brazilian, who represented Italy at international level, remembers how Barça convinved him to join them "with a shirt signed by Rivaldo, who was my idol."
Life was tough when he first arrived at Barça and he remembers the early training sessions as a "war" and the years playing under Louis van Gaal being very tough as the Dutch coach was so strict.
"If you didn't have tou shirt tucked into your shorts, he wouldn't let you train," Motta said. "That year Iniesta came up to the first team... you could already see when he was 14 that he was phenomenal. He didn't fear anyone."
Motta also remembers a young Messi, someone who he now considers a friend, but he got in trouble for a challenge on the Argentine in training once.
He explains: "The first day of training, I went in hard on him and his dad came over to tell me off and say that I had been too strong. To be honest, it was the only way to stop him."
