Very close to an extension at FC Barcelona in July, Lionel Messi finally rallied against all odds, Paris and PSG last August.
An unexpected arrival that unleashed passions in the football microcosm.
Considered untransferable, the transfer of the Argentinian international surprised more than one like Mauricio Pochettino, the PSG coach.
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Every evening, Leonardo called me to explain the situation to me.
As the possibility of PSG appears, Leo wants to come here.
Mauricio Pochettino
"
Leonardo calls me to tell me: 'there is the possibility of signing Messi, do you like him or you don't like him?', The good thing is that Leonardo called me to ask me ... (laughs). I said, 'Is that a real question or ...?', I thought that was a joke. He said, 'There is a possibility that Leo is coming, what do you think? Yes or no?' And I say: 'are we going to get him?' (laughs) And that's where the management begins. Every evening, Leonardo called me to explain the situation to me. As the possibility of PSG appears, Leo wants to come here. Then we talked when the situation became clear and there were only a few details left to work out? Before, no. It was a very normal, very natural conversation. We had theadvantage of having players like Neymar and Di Maria who had spoken to him and he had an idea of what PSG and Paris are.
»He confided on the
Cadena Cope
this Wednesday.
Messi's exit against Lyon, Pochettino defends himself again
Read alsoWhy the South Americans of PSG miss matches ... And why it will not happen again
The former Tottenham coach also returned to the controversial six-fold Golden Ball exit against Lyon on September 19.
For Pochettino, this incident is a thing of the past and is very optimistic about Messi's success in Paris.
“
The day of the change against Lyon, he was surprised that no player wanted to leave the field, he
explains.
We're talking about the best player in the world who leaves the field 1-1 on the scoreboard on his debut day at Parc des Princes. And he is surprised. I ask him: 'How are you?' And he looks at me as if to say: 'No, I'm fine'. But it was just that. For the record, what we wanted was to protect him from the possibility of something worse. Then he didn't play the next two games and we were lucky that he recovered quickly. And then, against City, he was decisive in such an important game. I repeat that there was no kind of intention other than to protect him and take care of him. If you have Messi and you're at 1-1, you'll have a better chance of winning the game if he's on the pitch. VS'is very clear evidence. There is no doubt that his adaptation is good and, over time, he will make the same records he made at FC Barcelona.
"