Messi the mysterious

Posted Monday, September 30, 2013 by Marca.com

In the book 'El Misterio de Messi' ('The Mystery of Messi), Journalists Sebastián Fest and Alexandre Juillard uncover the more surreptitious side of the Argentine ace. The first chapter, called 'El Shock', reveals how Messi pulled strings in the background to get Ibrahimovic out of the side. A translated extract from the book is found below.

In autumn of 2009, Messi decided to send an SMS to Pep Guardiola. The words of said message vary slightly depending on who tells the story, although they all agree on its spirit: "Fine, I see that I'm no longer important for the team, so…".

Lionel Messi was unsettled and edgy. And it was Pep Guardiola, as always, who was on the receiving end. The appearance of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, a move that Guardiola had forced through, was bad news for him. Messi only felt it at the beginning, but it was confirmed later.

The text message Messi sent at the start of the 2009-10 season set warning lights flashing for his coach, although he was also helped by the fact that the Swede lost his patience quickly and became the group rebel, according to those who knew what was going on in the club dressing room. "That's how I know to play and that's how I'm going to play, as a centre forward", he told the manager, opening up a gap between the two that would never be bridged.

The following season, Ibra left Barça. Had Messi once more won through with his silence?