Former Argentina star Claudio Caniggia believes Lionel Messi struggles in adversity and questioned his leadership.
Nobody can question Messi’s place as an all-time great in football history, having collected a record six Ballon d’Or awards among other prestigious honors.
His exploits alone for Barcelona have been iconic, with 634 goals and 285 assists to his name in 731 appearances. It’s helped him win 33 major honors across his club career at Camp Nou.
But cracks in his relationship with the Blaugrana have steadily grown in recent seasons. He tried to leave this summer as a result, but president Josep Maria Bartomeu denied a request to end his contract. Therefore, Leo will see out the season and leave once his deal expires in June next year.
Messi later gave a detailed interview to Goal last month and explained how his desire for titles played a factor behind his decision to leave, citing Barcelona’s successive Champions League setbacks as a key factor.
Messi stayed 🤝
But Neymar is long gone 👋
And Suarez is on his way 😢 pic.twitter.com/ziP87PYOJU
— Goal (@goal) September 22, 2020
On the international front, meanwhile, Messi has certainly suffered his fair share of heartbreak. Despite his best efforts, Argentina have lost a World Cup final and back-to-back Copa America finals.
To this day, he remains without a single title at the senior level for La Albiceleste despite scoring a record 70 goals in 138 games.
The 33-year-old knows time isn’t on his side anymore either, with the upcoming Copa America and the 2022 World Cup potentially being his last chance in leading the national team to major international triumph.
But Caniggia, who won the Copa America with Argentina and reached the 1990 World Cup final, suggested Messi’s inability to cope with superior opponents than his own team causes his game to suffer.
“Maybe Messi lacks leadership, when his team is not the better side he falls,” Caniggia told Canal 26.
“Messi takes responsibility and it’s clear he has character, I don’t know what might have happened there [at Barca] but what I always say is that for him it’s hard, he suffers when he sees his team is not better than the other side.
“When he goes on the pitch and sees his team is not superior, that it won’t be so easy to win, he doesn’t feel good. He struggles in adversity.”
On the whirlwind transfer saga of this summer, Caniggia added: “Messi was badly advised, they told him he could go for free.
“It seems his lawyers let the tortoise escape. It was obvious that he was not going to leave Barca.”
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