10 Things Lionel Messi Wants You To Forget About

8. That Coca Cola Incident
And continuing on from the revelations of alleged prima donna behaviour, former New York Red Bulls manager Hans Backe (who during this time managed ex-Barca players Thierry Henry and Rafael Marquez) recounts this anecdote, where Messi chooses to undermine then-coach Pep Guardiola€™s authority by drinking a can of Coke:

€œIt was three hours before the match, all the players sit and eat when Messi says he wants a Coke. €˜No, no, we do not drink cola three hours before a fight,€™ said Guardiola. So Messi got up from his chair and comes back a few minutes later with a can of cola, which he opens and drinks right in front of Guardiola. Imagine what happens when a great profile as Messi goes against the coach in this way. It is a war that Guardiola can not win. It is impossible,€ said Backe.

The story dates back to the 2008/2009 season, a season which ended with Barcelona winning the La Liga, Copa Del Rey and Champions League. All of which perhaps suggests that if Lionel Messi wants a can of Coke before a game, you let him have one.


7. He's Not Quite The Best Ever At Taking Penalties

If there€™s one glaring weakness in Lionel Messi€™s game, it€™s probably his ability from twelve yards. It€™s something of an oddity that a player with such undoubted talents as Messi should struggle with something as relatively simple as a penalty. Perhaps he€™d have a better record from the spot if the act of taking a penalty involved beating two or three players in the run-up.

Admittedly the last two penalties he took he scored, both for Argentina in the Copa America. The second of these was in the penalty shootout against Chile that Argentina went on to lose. In such a high pressure situation, Messi€™s finish was flawless, suggesting it€™s not necessarily a question of mental fragility. Yet with Barcelona, his penalty conversion record is far from impressive. Having taken over sixty penalties at club level, Messi has missed thirteen. That may not sound too bad, but it hardly yells world class. You could argue he€™s not even the best penalty taker at Barcelona, but given the perpetual race between Messi and Ronaldo to score the most goals, he€™s not going to all of a sudden relinquish the responsibility. Even if he continues to miss important penalties, such as this one in the Champions League semi final of 2012 that saw Barcelona crash out to eventual winners Chelsea.