Lionel Messi is and was one of the greatest soccer players, and every club in the world would do anything to keep him. The forward could often decide games single-handedly with a bit of his trademark magic. Barcelona knew this and would make sure that he was always happy and available for their games.
Injuries would, however, sometimes affect Messi himself and Barcelona would lose a major factor in games. To make sure the risk of injury was minimized, there were some crazy training rules at the club, with a former player of the club revealing the extent of them.
Former Barcelona defender reveals special Lionel Messi rule
Jean Clear Todibo, who was previously a defender at Barcelona as a youth player, has now become one of the best in France, playing for Ligue 1 club OGC Nice. He only had five games for the Blaugrana and was largely away in loan spells. He is now a crucial player at the heart of the best defense in France, with Nice only conceding 4 goals this season.
According to Marca, in an interview with Ligue 1, Todibo was asked about his time at Barcelona, including about training with one of the best players in history, Lionel Messi. The Frenchman revealed that it was forbidden to touch Messi during training sessions and that the players had to be careful about him, saying, “In Barcelona they didn’t allow us to touch Messi in training. He sounds crazy, but it’s true. We had to be careful.”
🇫🇷🗣️ Jean-Clair Todibo: "In Barcelona they didn't allow us to touch Messi in training. It sounds crazy, but it's true."
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) December 3, 2023
"We had to be careful. It's normal, he's the best, you don't want to hurt him." (L1 Show) pic.twitter.com/vogItYY72N
But Todibo also said that it was a normal thing for a player like Messi, “It’s normal, he’s the best, you don’t want to hurt him.”
Injuries in training are very common and can often lead to a player being out of action for a long period of time. Recent examples include Eduardo Camavinga in France training and Arda Guler in Real Madrid training.
Barcelona obviously didn’t want a player like Messi to be needlessly injured in training sessions, which could have cost them important games. While it may seem crazy for any other player, for players like the Argentine maestro, it is completely understandable.
Thierry Henry revealed fascinating Lionel Messi training story
Speaking of Lionel Messi being fouled in training, a story from Thierry Henry has also gone viral. The former Arsenal legend shared the pitch with Messi from 2007 to 2010, forming a deadly partnership and winning many trophies together.
In Rio Ferdinand’s autobiography back in 2014, Henry said that Messi was often fouled by his teammates in his early days at Barcelona’s training sessions. The Frenchman recounted one such incident from their shared training sessions.
Listen to this. Henry describes Lionel Messi in training. That response to adversity, the attitude not to accept defeat or failure, that competitive edge that comes from love of the game! That's the foundation of greatness! Desire to be the best! pic.twitter.com/xbc4NJCuME
— Keepitonthedeck (@Keepitonthedeck) June 10, 2019
Messi was fouled in training once and then demanded a free kick, which was not given by the coach. Thierry then says what happens, “So when the ball went back to his goalkeeper, he ran back and demanded the ball. The goalkeeper rolled him the ball, and Messi then proceeded to run through the entire team and score in anger.” It’s safe to say that the next generation of Barcelona players was rightly warned not to foul their star player.
Lionel Messi is currently at Inter Miami in the MLS, however, one can only assume that he is being given the same treatment there as at Barcelona.
