There was a time when facing Barcelona was a nightmare for rivals, thanks to Xavi Hernandez’s exploits in the midfield. The midfield maestro played and passed the ball with a mathematician’s skill. And titles followed him then. However, as Barca’s boss, we are not seeing the old Xavi who had the Midas touch. He has not failed completely, but he is struggling. The veteran’s recent outing against Las Palmas is a testament to those struggles. If he struggles as a manager, can Lionel Messi be far behind?

Lionel Messi and Xavi belong to the class of Barcelona stars who dominated opponents with their ace passing prowess. The current Barca squad, albeit to Xavi’s expectations, falls short of emulating the ‘passing game.’ If Messi were to be a coach like the former, he would also perhaps deal with a team that might struggle to meet his expectations.

Being in the boss’ shoes is no simple job for Xavi, and neither will it be for Lionel Messi!

Barcelona struggled to crack Las Palmas’ defensive dead-lock last night. In a post-match interview, Xavi clarified his players could have done it by playing the ball behind the opponent’s defense. He conveyed, “That’s what I was good at,” clearly giving a reality check that he could have done a better job had he been there on the field. Regarding getting frustrated at certain players’ shortcomings on the pitch, Lionel Messi is no outlier.

On innumerable occasions, we have seen Lionel Messi taking all the responsibility on his shoulders. Moreover, Messi cutting a frustrated figure after a teammate failed to receive his pass or when someone did not pass him the ball has become a cliche lately. When Barcelona depended solely on him and struggled, he never shied away from calling them out. A player who has consistently seen his peers struggling to raise the stakes won’t probably entertain the same disappointment and frustration after retiring. Therefore, all world-class players cannot be fine coaches as Wayne Rooney comes to mind. 

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Seeing Messi as a coach is a distant dream.

Imagine if Messi coached Barca one day like Xavi. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner will also hope his players display the same football intelligence as him. But is that possible? Players of this era arguably have a snowball’s chance in hell to emulate the Leo Messis of the world. Besides, during his Blaugrana days, Messi said that he is yet to mull a managerial stint post-retirement. According to him, he is more inclined to become a sporting director for a club rather than a manager.

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Anyhow, Xavi is not the only outstanding player to struggle after becoming a manager. The great Diego Maradona and Andre Pirlo, among others, all struggled as a gaffer. Hence, it is likely that Messi will also join the ranks of these players if he ever becomes a boss. But will the Argentine want it? He’ll probably be a sporting director like he wanted. Only time will tell where Messi heads next.

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