This image went around the world. When he was PSG coach, Mauricio Pochettino came out in the middle of a match against OL Lionel Messi. This decision was widely commented on by the international press and was the subject of a torrent of criticism. “Every decision you make at a club like PSG has an external impact. Remember when I released Leo Messi?recalls the Argentinian coach in Gary Neville’s podcast. I took him out because the doctor told me he had a knee problem», he asserts, denying any desire to show his compatriot that he was the boss.
“My first intention was to preserve it because I was thinking about the Champions League, etc. If I had not made this decision, he could have injured himself, which would have had repercussions on his participation in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Pochettino continued. I didn’t want to prove that I was braver than any other coach, but at the time it seemed like the best thing for him.» He remembers the many criticisms received after this episode. ““Pep Guardiola would never have taken him out. Pochettino doesn’t understand that Messi must always stay on the pitch.” These kinds of comments quickly give a negative image, without you really being able to do anything about it. And yet, there has never been a problem between Messi and me.»
