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BARCELONA - Head coach Ronald Koeman has lifted the lid on what it was like to coach Lionel Messi last season that has made the Dutchman label the Argentinian a 'tyrant'.
Koeman has described him as such because Messi just hated losing to his teammates at any instance during training.
The Dutchman claims the six-time Ballon d’Or winner made his teammates appear better than they were because of how aware and technically gifted he was. That is not a criticism but an observation of te coach.
Koeman also says the maestro is a coach's dream as he possesses all the attributes one looks for in a player and he was amazed by Messi's talent.
"I knew how good he is, but it's still nice to see it up close every day. Everything you would like to teach a football player, in recognising situations, in taking the ball under pressure, in ball speed, in finishing; with Messi everything is a 10. Not normal, not normal!," says Koeman.
Koeman says Messi has the mentality of a winner and he always wants to end the victor even at training.
According to Koeman, Messi did say that he had lost to his teammates at training and that was ONCE.
"Messi was seriously angry about that for a week. Really, a tyrant."
The Dutchman arrived at Nou Camp last season at a time when a frustrated Messi was pushing for a transfer that did materialise.
However, this season somewhat reluctantly he moved to Paris St Germain due to Barcelona's financial woes. - Agencies, September 24, 2021