LIONEL MESSI HAS never been able to accept the need for squad rotation, according to former Barcelona full-back Juliano Belletti.
Fresh speculation has emerged this week about the attacker’s future after he started on the bench for the 1-0 defeat to Real Sociedad last weekend.
The Argentina star has grown frustrated with life under Luis Enrique and president Josep Maria Bartomeu, who has brought forward club elections to this year, is reportedly prepared to wield the axe in order to placate the forward.
Belletti, who scored the winning goal in the 2006 Champions League final, says Messi has never accepted being left out of the starting line-up — even though it is a vital part of managing a squad in modern football.
“Messi doesn’t like being on the bench,” he said as a pundit on Arena SporTV. “He doesn’t accept rotation, which, in the long term, is important.
“When I was at Barcelona, I saw him have discussions with the coaching staff because he didn’t want to miss a game.”
Belletti does feel, however, that Messi has earned the right to certain “privileges” at the club given the enormous success he has helped to bring to Camp Nou.
“The Barcelona of today is Messi. If they’ve won so many titles, it was because of the high standards Messi offered. It seems normal to me that he’d have certain privileges,” he added.
“If he wants to play, to keep a calm atmosphere, you should let him play.”
A player, no matter how good he is, calling the shots at a club and having more power than the manager is never a good thing.
On one hand Messi gets blamed for wanting to play every game, and on the other, Sterling gets blamed for wanting to take a rest. Seems like footballers can’t win these days.
Overpaid selfish git. Should concentrate on paying his fair share of taxes.
Quite frankly, although there a million miles between me and him as footballers and as people of interest, I don’t like what he is doing, trying to tell the coaches he wants to play every game and to never be left on the bench, no questions asked. While it makes sense because they can’t buy players at the moments, shouldn’t he stop and think for a second that while he’s undoubtedly the talisman, he needs to understand the fairness in letting teammates get a chance when they’re given an opportunity to fill his role?
Probably one of the greatest players there has ever been and arguably the best of his generation but NO player is bigger than the team.After all football is a team sport and NOT an individual sport.Players have their role to play and managers have their role to manage,end of story.
Looks like a smear campaign against the little magician!! To put this just beside an article about Ronaldos petulance is a nonsense!
Messi needs to talk to Sterling
People we must agree that messi has contributed to the barca we so much admire to day while we might see this as an act of disrespect . Tha turth still remains that messi should be entitled to some privliages. You know what they say you never know what u have untill u lose it. I tell u if barca is not careful that will be her case.