Lionel Messi Was Too Shy Complete This Task During FC Barcelona Training, Reveals Xavi

Lionel Messi is now the best player in the world if the Ballon d’Or is to be believed, as the Argentinian forward won the prestigious award for a record-extending seventh time. It’s his 15th year dominating the sport, and a lot of things have changed in the world of football.

However, Messi hasn’t changed a lot. While he might not possess the electric pace he had when he was younger, he still has the same tricks and skills. Moreover, his vision and game management has improved drastically, and of course, there exist those freakish numbers from his free-kicks.

FC Barcelona manager Xavi reveals why Lionel Messi didn’t take free-kicks

Xavi had been a player at FC Barcelona for around five years when Messi made his debut for the club. The Spanish midfielder retired a while ago, and recently re-joined the club as their manager. He talked about the set-piece takers at the club currently, and who’ll be on free-kick duty since Messi left the club.

“Today we worked on free-kicks, and I was surprised by the players who actually shot very well. Messi, as a 21-year-old, did not take those shots, Tito (Vilanova) convinced him to. We don’t have a specialist like him, but we have good players,” Xavi said.

Barca’s new signings might make an impact from set-piece situations

Xavi went on to name the players who could take over the penalties and free-kicks from Messi. He revealed that veteran midfielder Sergio Busquets is great at penalties, and players like Memphis Depay, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Gerard Pique can handle the set-pieces.

“At the end, it depends on the feelings. Busquets is good at penalties. We had Leo who can handle free-kicks and penalties, now players like Memphis and Aubameyang, and Pique as well,” Xavi concluded.

It’ll be interesting to see who Xavi goes with in the end, but there’s no dearth of dead-ball specialists at the club. Moreover, Xavi hasn’t made a lot of wrong decisions at the club since his arrival, and that is not likely to change anytime soon.

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