Italian journalist Sandro Sabatini has claimed that former Juventus coach Thiago Motta once referred to Lionel Messi to treat star attacker Kenan Yildiz harshly. The Italian-Brazilian tactician reportedly humiliated the youngster by telling him that he wasn't anything like the Argentine maestro.
After leading Bologna to UEFA Champions League qualification in the 2023-24 season, Motta was hired by Juventus at the start of the 2024-25 campaign. The 42-year-old's tenure got off to a great start, as he lost just one game (1-0 to VFB Stuttgart in the UCL) in the first half of the season.
However, things quickly fell apart for Juve in the second half of the season. They crashed out of the UCL at the Round-of-16 stage (4-3 on aggregate to PSV), exited the Coppa Italia in the quarter-finals (3-5 loss to Empoli), and fell to fifth in the Serie A standings.
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Motta's turbulent reign ended on March 23, when he was sacked by Juventus. Post his sacking, a host of stories about his tough man-management and unpopularity in the dressing room have been revealed.
The latest claim has come from Sabatini, who said Motta told Yildiz to refrain from thinking that he's on Messi's level. On the 'Calcio Selvaggio' podcast, Sabatini said (via JuveFC h/t IlBianconero):
"Yildiz, at a certain point, evaporates in Thiago Motta’s hierarchy. He’s a young guy, he found himself tossed around left and right and on a couple of occasions. During a training session, Motta told him: 'Who do you think you are? You're not Messi.'"
Although the on-field results have not gone their way this season, Yildiz has been a silver lining for the Bianconeri. The 19-year-old has bagged six goals and four assists in 41 appearances across competitions.
"Let's not drive him crazy" - Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni makes claim about Lionel Messi's participation in 2026 FIFA World Cup
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has claimed that national captain Lionel Messi should not be pressured to reveal the status of his participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The 37-year-old has the second-most goals in international football (112 in 191 appearances) behind archrival and Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo (136 in 219 appearances). He played a crucial role in helping Argentina win four international titles in the last four years (two Copa America titles, the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and the 2022 Finalissima).
Of late, injuries have forced the Argentine maestro to watch from the sidelines on a regular basis. Despite his absence, La Albiceleste secured their qualification for the 2026 World Cup with wins against Uruguay (1-0, March 21) and Brazil (4-1, March 25) in the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers last week.
After the game against Brazil, Scaloni was asked whether Messi would play in his sixth World Cup next year. The 46-year-old replied (via ESPN):
"We will see what happens, there's plenty of time. We must go one game a time otherwise (we) will be speaking about the same thing the rest of the year and we need to leave him alone, we will see. He will decide it whenever he wants, let's not drive him crazy with this."
Up next, Messi could potentially be seen in action in Inter Miami's MLS clash against Philadelphia Union on Saturday (March 29).
