"It would give me more joy than all the titles I won" - former Brazil manager Luiz Scolari on potentially coaching Lionel Messi
Luiz Felipe Scolari recently revealed that he has "unrealised wishes" of coaching Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi.
"I always say that my unrealized wishes were coaching Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi," Scolari said. "I would have liked to share experiences with Maradona, apart from the fact that I was able to manage great players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldo, or Luís Figo, who were fantastic."
Luiz Scolari was manager of the Brazil national team that won the World Cup in 2002. The 72-year-old has coached the likes of Ronaldinho, Rivaldo and Ronaldo with Brazil, as well as Cristiano Ronaldo, Deco and Luis Figo with Portugal.
The Brazilian coach did not hold back while praising Lionel Messi and claiming that working with the Argentine superstar would make a "great difference" in his managerial career.
"It would make a great difference in my career to have coached Messi. It would give me more joy than all the titles I won as a coach," Scolari stated.
"Would like to see Neymar and Lionel Messi together at Paris Saint-Germain" - Luiz Felipe Scolari
Speaking about Lionel Messi, Luiz Felipe Scolari expressed his excitement at the idea of the Argentine potentially joining former teammate Neymar at Paris Saint-Germain.
"I would like to see them together, but not at Barcelona. I would like to see them at PSG. They make a duo of a kind that hardly any other teams have," Scolari added. "There would not be a game in which PSG would not score goals. They are two geniuses."
Lionel Messi's future has been the subject of much debate this season. The Argentine publicly revealed his unhappiness at Barcelona last summer, and claimed he wished to leave the Nou Camp last summer but was denied a move by the club hierarchy.
Since then, the 33-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain. Messi's teammates at the Argentine national team - Angel di Maria and Leandro Paredes - have both revealed their desire to play with him in Paris, while club executives have also expressed interest.
However, a move for Lionel Messi could prove to be financially complicated, with PSG's contract renewals for Neymar and Kylian Mbappe pending. The Argentine may well stay at Barcelona, as new club president Joan Laporta has made it a priority to keep the superstar at the club.
The 33-year-old has also played a starring role for Blaugrana this season, who are making a late charge for the La Liga title.
Irrespective of his eventual decision, the Lionel Messi transfer speculation is set to be the story of the summer transfer window in Europe.