5 great managers who never coached Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi is widely regarded as one of the best players to have graced the game.
During a stellar career spanning almost two decades, the Argentine has scored goals and won big titles galore with club and country. The six-time Ballon d'Or and eight-time Pichichi winner is the all-time top scorer for Barcelona and Argentina.
Messi moved to PSG this summer after the Blaugrana failed to renew his contract. Though he has had a quiet start to life in the French capital thus far, he is expected to rediscover his mojo soon.
During his illustrious career for club and country, Messi has played under the likes of Pep Guardiola, Luis Enrique and Lionel Scaloni. However, he has never been managed by some of the other top managers to have graced the game during this period.
On that note, here's a look at the top five managers under whom Messi has never played:
#5 Arsene Wenger
Arsene Wenger is one of the top managers of the game since the turn of the century.
One of only four men to win at least three Premier League titles, Wenger etched his name in competition folklore when his Arsenal team went through the entire 2003-04 campaign without defeat. The Gunners earned the moniker 'Invincibles' for that feat, with no other team accomplishing that in the Premier League era.
During his illustrious managerial tenure, Wenger has managed several world-class players like Thierry Henry, Denis Bergkamp and Cesc Fabregas, to name a few. The Frenchman tried to sign Messi, but never came close to landing the player.
“We tried, we were not near to signing Messi,” Wenger said on beIN Sports. “But we tried to sign Pique, Fabregas and Messi, of course, we already tried, but he was already too big at the time."
Arsene Wenger says he tried to sign Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe during his time as Arsenal manager 😱
What could have been 😫 https://t.co/FClal5qak6
Wenger's Arsenal were at the receiving end of Lionel Messi's brilliance on many occasions in the Champions League.
#4 Jose Mourinho
Jose Mourinho is one of the most decorated managers in the game's history. The Portuguese is one of a handful of managers to win league titles in four different countries.
Currently at AS Roma, Mourinho has managed the likes of Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid, where he locked horns with Messi often. The Argentine has single-handedly floored Mourinho's teams in the biggest of games and competitions.
Most notably, Messi's brace at the Santiago Bernabeu was key in taking Barcelona to the 2011 Champions League final at Madrid's expense. Five years ago, the then teenager's Stamford Bridge masterclass eventually knocked out Mourinho's Chelsea in the Champions League Round of 16.
Mourinho once reportedly said about Messi that the Argentine is a 'god' and is virtually unstoppable in one-on-one situations.
🗣 Jose Mourinho: “Messi is the god of football. When Messi has the ball, one on one, you’re dead.” https://t.co/je3sYODsgc
Despite managing many top teams during his illustrious managerial career, Mourinho never came close to signing Messi, though.