Quique Setién has offered a cold refusal to discuss his infamously awkward relationship with Lionel Messi at Barcelona.
The Spaniard replaced Ernesto Valverde at Barca in January 2020, helping them to second place in La Liga. However, Setien was dismissed after their damaging 8-2 defeat against Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-final seven months after his appointment.
During his time at Camp Nou, Setien recorded an impressive 64% win rate but didn't have the greatest of bonds with Messi. It was widely reported that Setien had fallen out with the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner, with the former Real Betis boss also enduring a tricky relationship with the Barcelona hierarchy which culminated in him threatening legal action over his acrimonious exit.
He is now set to appear in a show, 'Setién Report', on Spanish TV, an excerpt of which has been revealed where he has refused to talk about Messi at all. Setien hasn't returned to football management since his departure from Barca.
When asked about his relationship with Messi, he said, as relayed by Mundo Deportivo: "I prefer not to talk about Messi. It is true that later there are specific situations that are uncomfortable."
Setien's refusal made it crystal clear his feelings on Messi are not overwhelmingly positive, having previously stated he is "difficult to manage" but branding him the greatest player of all-time.
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Meanwhile, his second in command at the time, Eder Sarabia, who now coaches Andorra, gave an extended explanation, saying: "At the beginning, I had a very good relationship, but then it deteriorated a bit due to the results, due to the situation of the club, which was not the best. Messi was not happy at all and as a result of that his departure from Barça."
It must be remembered that Setien is not the only manager who had issues with the evergreen Messi. During the 2013-14 season, Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino had brought up a similar problem and Setien admitted that he has had enough experiences to make his judgement on Messi.
"I don’t need anyone to tell me what Martino or another said. I have lived it. I’ve had enough experiences to make an accurate assessment of what this guy and the others are really like," he had said in 2020.
Despite these fallouts, Messi has established himself as one of the greatest footballers ever, having scored over 700 goals in his professional career. The 35-year-old broke the record for the most La Liga goals in a single season in 2011/12, when he struck a record 50 times in a single league season. He has continued this, and now at Paris Saint-Germain, Messi has ambitions to carry it on for years to come.
