Lionel Messi picks out his two most influential Barcelona figures but gives special mention to a third

Barcelona legend Lionel Messi sat down with MD recently for an rare interview, and the Argentine’s word remains gospel in Catalonia. Having noted how much he misses the fans at Camp Nou, he picked out two people who had the biggest impact on him while he was at the club.

Messi arrived in Barcelona at the age of just 13 with his family, and spent 21 years at the club before his contract expired in 2021, and he joined Paris Saint-Germain. Making his debut for the Barcelona first team in 2004, Messi went on to score 672 goals and give 303 assists in just 778 games, becoming their greatest ever.

“I think there are two that marked me a lot for different reasons. Pep, because I had him as a coach for many years and we achieved incredible things that we would never have imagined.”

“And Ronaldinho, because the way he welcomed me, how he helped me, helped me a lot in my first moments in the first team. I also remember a lot of Andres (Iniesta) or Xavi as teammates, and the three who play with me here in Miami (Busquets, Alba and Suarez), who are also friends. And of course, a special mention for Tito Vilanova, who we miss so much.”

Barcelona set a record points total in La Liga under Tito Vilanova’s management in the 2012-13 season, which was tragically cut short by a throat cancer that would eventually see him pass away in 2014 at the age of 55. Vilanova had coached Lionel Messi, Gerard Pique and Cesc Fabregas in the Masia academy as teenagers too.