Edgardo BAUZA reveals what was said during his conversations with Lionel MESSI and Javier MASCHERANO.
Earlier in the month, new Argentina coach Edgardo BAUZA travelled to Barcelona to speak to the two captains. With it also came Lionel MESSI’s return to the National Team. BAUZA has revealed what was said during their talks.
“I told them what I thought and they told me a lot about the group. They said it’s extraordinary. “You’ll see Paton (his nickname) when we’ll be working, you won’t have any problems, everyone adapts, everyone wants to play, everyone would die for the National Team, they told me.”
“I went (to speak to MESSI) not to convince him, I went to talk football. We spent almost two hours talking about football and naturally it came out (from the conversation) that he would be on the list. I told him that in Argentina there are 100 idiots, who speak and criticise, but I told him that people want much, and if you are still heeding 100 idiots who criticise, you would go crazy.”
“I imagine him in two or three positions, something we’ve already spoken about with him, but we’ll see it here. He has that pressure naturally by who he is. And he knows it. And we all know that when the ball goes through him, he can make something different happen. But we need help from the team.”
If the criticism still hurt MESSI:
“I believe so. MESSI or anyone. I’ll repeat myself: If they say “We’ve come second, we’re a mess”, it hurts and that’s very Argentine. It’s normal that it bothers him. But to be the best, you also have to be able to deal with it and put that away.”


