Lionel Messi is “the conductor of an orchestra”, Argentina, where “the others are ready to work very hard for him» and of which « lhe music starts when he has the ball“Said Arsene Wenger, former coach now director of development for FIFA, in an interview with AFP on Saturday on the eve of the World Cup final. “What surprises me about this tournament is that he again has the physical ability to step up at the right time. Last year with Paris Saint-Germain, he played a bit at one speed, whereas there he mastered the alternation of slowness and speed again,” remarks the former Arsenal boss.
«He was never very fast but he was a master of changing direction and pace. He found that during this tournament. He attracts the opponent and suddenly he places the small acceleration that makes the difference“, continues the French technician. Wenger, 73, also compares Messi to a tamer. “I saw him with three players around him. He does like the guy from the circus with the lion. He says to the ball + listen well my friend, I’m the boss here!».
«He always had this quality, incredible for such a master of the dribble, to always know when to pass, whereas usually the strong dribblers tend to exaggerate“, he continues.