Lionel Messi insists facing former coach Pep Guardiola will provide no additional motivation when his Barcelona team hosts Bayern Munich in tonight’s Champions League semi-final first leg.
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The Argentine, who will be making his 100th appearance on the European stage for Barca, claims that winning the world’s most prestigious club competition for the first time since 2011 is enough incentive on its own.
Attempting to play down the ‘Pep Reunion’ factor ahead of tonight’s clash at the Nou Camp, Messi said: “Playing in a Champions League semi-final is the motivation.
“We have great desire to win this tournament and it is a special time for us because we are lucky enough to be challenging for everything.”
180 journalists, 35 TV cameras and 20 photographers for Leo Messi and Luis Enrique’s press conference #FCBlive pic.twitter.com/mkFHfXVy8l
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) May 5, 2015
Messi was already a well-established star when Guardiola took over as Barca boss in the summer of 2008, having been handed his debut nearly four years previously at the age of 17 by Frank Rijkaard, subsequently winning two La Liga titles under the Dutchman.
However, the influence of Guardiola – especially his decision to re-employ his No 10 as a deeplying ‘false nine’ centre forward – allowed Messi to explode towards greatness, immediately more than doubling his previous best goalscoring tally as Barca won a league, cup and European treble in 2009.
The duo continued to enjoy unprecedented success until Guardiola’s resignation in the summer of 2012, by which time they had reeled in 14 major trophies in four seasons.
Despite Xavi and Andres Iniesta pulling the strings in midfield, the undoubted star of Guardiola’s team was Messi, who was named the world’s best player on four consecutive occasions during their time together.
Messi scored a total of 211 goals in just 219 Barca games under Guardiola, averaging more than a goal per game in La Liga and setting the competition’s all-time single season scoring record with 50 in 2011/12.
But although Messi was happy to acknowledge the debt that both he and the club owes to Guardiola, he revealed there has been little continuation of their personal relationship in the last three years.
“We had a great time together and I developed a lot as a player,” he said. “But we have not had much contact since he left, just occasionally at FIFA gala events.
“For everything that Pep did for Barca and the titles he won, it would be normal for people to give him a good reception tonight. But when the game starts, that all finishes.”
And as they prepare to lock horns tonight for the first time since they parted ways nearly three years ago, Messi believes the fact that Barca and their opposing manager are so well acquainted with each other’s strengths and weaknesses will not be a particularly significant factor in deciding the tie.
“It’s the same for both of us,” he said. “He knows us very well and we know him very well. I don’t think it will be important.”
Speaking at his first press conference for nearly two years, Messi refused to allow himself to be dragged into an analysis of his relationship with current boss Luis Enrique.
The pair fell out in January after a training ground argument and Enrique’s subsequent decision to leave Messi out of the team for a shock 1-0 defeat at Real Sociedad, but the forward insisted the incident is in the past.
“What happened, happened,” he said. “Now there are no problems and we have a normal relationship – just like I do with all my colleagues.”
And he was similarly reluctant to assess the respective attributes of Enrique and Guardiola, evasively stating: “I don’t make comparisons between coaches. They are the same in some ways and different in others.”
He was, however, more effusive about his fellow frontmen Luis Suarez and Neymar, adding: “We have a great relationship on and off the field. With world-class players like them, everything is easier and I am lucky to play with them.”
