Atletico Madrid manager, Diego Simeone has revealed what he learnt from Lionel Messi.
Speaking to journalists prior to Atletico’s LaLiga game against Deportivo Alaves, Simeone expressed his appreciation to Messi over his contributions to Argentina and acknowledged that the Inter Miami forward showed him the virtues of perseverance and competitive determination.
He said, “As an Argentine, I am grateful to him for everything he gave us, because he gave us so much joy, but above all for what he taught us, because he taught us to fight and, when things go badly, to keep insisting. And that is Messi’s greatest value for Argentines, at least for me.”
When asked to select between Diego Maradona and Messi for Saturday’s league fixture or a singular championship match, Simeone declined to make a direct comparison between the two athletes and remarked:
He added, “I am not going to get into the easy, demagogic game of choosing one of them. I was lucky enough to play with Maradona and I was not lucky enough to play with Messi. The truth is that we Argentines are grateful to have had two extraordinary footballers, the best in history.
“Messi, for his insurmountable numbers. The growth he has shown as a person and as a sportsman has broken every possible barrier, because he has always handled it from a position of respect and good behaviour, and that is difficult to maintain for 20 or 25 years, I do not even know how many years he has been playing now.”
Lionel Messi concluded his international career in a friendly match against Benin in front of a capacity audience in Buenos Aires.
The 39-year-old provided two assists and scored one goal as Argentina achieved a decisive 3-0 win.