Messi retirement not far away, says Barcelona coach
BARCELONA : Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde said the football world must get used to the idea that Lionel Messi will retire in the near future, adding that he will cherish being able to tell people he was able to coach the Argentine.
Messi was crowned world player of the year for a record sixth time when he received the Ballon d’or in Paris on Monday and set alarm bells ringing by saying in his speech “you enjoy these moments more because my r e t i r e ment is getting nearer”.
“It’s something natural, he’s 32 years old. I don’t think he’s going to retire tomorrow or in three days, but when you get past 30, you see that the end is nearer. The subject is given too much thought,” Valverde told reporters ahead of his side’s La Li g a g ame at home t o Real Mallorca on Saturday.
TAKE IT IN STRIDE
“But I don’t think we should go crazy about it, we have to look at it naturally. Everyone thinks about retirement when they get to a certain age, but just because he’s thinking about it doesn’t mean he’s going to retire in the next three days.”
Valverde added that he may only begin to truly appreciate Messi’s greatness in a few years’ time, comparing the forward’s impact on the game as that of the late Argentine Alfredo di Stefano, who led Real Madrid to five consecutive European Cups.
“I’m aware of how lucky I am but sometimes the demands of everyday life means you are not allowed to enjoy everything. I think you appreciate these things more with time,” he added.
“I’m aware that I have the enormous fortune of being able to say in a few years I coached Leo.
“In the same way that older people talk about Di Stefano, we will be able to tell future generations that we lived through the Messi era and some people like me will be able to say we enjoyed it close by.”
SUBLIME FORM
Messi has scored 11 goals this season for Barcelona and struck a brilliant winner in last week’s 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid which kept the Catalans top of the standings along with Real Madrid.
Barcelona will still be without injured trio Nelson Semedo, Ousmane Dembele and Jordi Alba for the game with promoted Mallorca, who are 17th in the standings and have lost four of their last six league outings.
Valverde also said in the coming years he would be able to proudly say that he coached Messi in his career.
“Sometimes it doesn’t let you enjoy every day,” he admitted. It’s something that you will value over time. In many years’ time, I’ll be able to look back and s ay t hat I c oached Messi,” Valverde said.
Barcelona are currently placed at the top spot in the La Liga standings with 31 points from 14 matches.