Former Barcelona and Manchester United coach, Louis van Gaal, has hit out at Lionel Messi, claiming the Barcelona talisman should be adapting himself to the team, and not the other way around.
van Gaal thinks Barcelona coaches have given the Argentina international too much freedom in recent years, with recent Barca managers prioritising Messi’s individual talents over the team.
Despite winning the Liga title last season, the club fell short in the Champions League yet again, losing out to eventual winners Liverpool in the semi-final.
That means Messi remains on four European titles, with Barca having failed to reach the final since winning the competition in 2015.
And Van Gaal believes that the failure is down to one specific problem; Messi.
In an interview with El Pais, the ex-Manchester United manager explained that the Argentine is the reason behind Ernesto Valverde’s lack of success on the European stage.
The 67-year-old expressed that he has always been a firm believer in team spirit, and argued that Pep Guardiola is the only Barcelona manager to have treated Messi in the right way.
“Look at Barça. How many Champions League titles have their won with the person they say is the best player in the world? Look at Neymar at PSG. How many Champions League titles have they won? Neymar and Messi are players I like as individuals but they aren’t team players.”
“Messi must ask himself why it’s been so long since he won a Champions League. He’s the best individual player in the world because his numbers are incredible. I like him a lot! But, why hasn’t he won a Champions League in five years? Why? As captian, he should ask why his team hasn’t won in Europe.”
“I remember Neymar at Barça played for Messi. I’ve got nothing against Neymar. He’s fantastic but at PSG he doesn’t play for the team. And I think that every player should play for their team (first), including Messi.”
“Guardiola made him play to the benefit of the team but the last few coaches have adapted too much to Messi instead of protecting team spirit. Team spirit is the most important thing.
“Messi adjusted to Guardiola’s plan, not the other way around.”
