Kevin Prince-Boateng (Forward) and Lionel Messi (behind)
Former Black Stars forward Kevin Prince-Boateng has disclosed that Argentine footballer Lionel Messi’s poor training habits at Barcelona negatively impacted his colleagues.
He explained that during his stint with Barcelona, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner was not actively involved in training and would often be on his mobile phone, engaging with people.
Speaking on the ‘Rio Ferdinand Presents’ podcast, the former Tottenham Hotspur winger noted that the Argentine football great always excelled in matches despite his inactivity in training.
“So, we come into the dressing room, and he’s just sitting there on his phone, getting a massage while sitting down. Two minutes before we go out, he just stands up, closes his boots, and goes out. During the warm-up for the Champions League game against Liverpool, we did the crossbar challenge, and then he went back inside.
“The coach made the last adjustments, and Messi was on the phone FaceTiming. Thirty seconds before we went out, he came and put his jacket on, and then boom! Goal, goal, goal,” he narrated.
However, Prince-Boateng stated that young players at Barcelona at the time who tried to adopt Messi’s approach to training ended up sustaining injuries, and their careers took a downturn.
“That’s what the young players did in Barcelona: Malcom, Dembele, they looked at him and didn’t train. Then, going into the game, they got injured. He’s the only one in the world who can do that,” he disclosed.
The Ghanaian footballer played for Barcelona on loan for one season, during the 2018-2019 season, where he played five matches for the club. Boateng announced his retirement from football at the age of 36 on August 11, 2023.
Meanwhile, watch as Ghanaians applaud Black Stars for excellent performances against Chad, Madagascar
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