Ex-Argentina Coach Names Lionel Messi's First Mentors

In his first senior World Cup call-up, Lionel Messi was asked to learn from some of the best Argentine players.

Jose Pekerman is arguably the best youth level coach in Argentina and was one of the first people to mentor Messi in his formative senior years. But aside from the renowned manager, there was an array of legendary players the young Messi took pointers from.

According to Pekerman, he was well aware of Messi’s incredible performances at the Under-20s World Cup. However, he still reminded the then-soccer prodigy to play the Argentine way and follow the footsteps of Gabriel Heinze, Juan Roman, Hernan Crespo, Gabriel Milito and Esteban Cambiasso.

“He grew up in an environment very different, he didn’t live the Argentine locker room,” Pekerman recently told TNT Sports. “After, he had to integrate into the Argentina national team as we were, the World Cup qualifiers, the way it’s played, everything is very different.”

“I told him, ‘look, I know that at this world cup you’re capable of, you’re going to be the best player in the world, I see that. But this World Cup is not going to be yours yet. You’ll play every minute you can given the situation of the matches. But it’ll serve you well to listen, to learn the Argentine locker room is fundamental. Talk to those with more experience like Heinze, Roman, Crespo, Gabi Milito, [Esteban] Cambiasso. Get closer and it will serve you because your World Cup is that of South Africa’," he recalled.

Despite his stellar club career, Messi has never earned a single major World Cup title. So far, being a four-time runner-up has been the best he has achieved.

Nevertheless, the six-time Ballon d’Or winner still has the desire to win for his home country. However, he had admitted in the past that he’s not yet sure if he will be joining Argentina in the 2022 World Cup tournament, suggesting it will all depend on what his body will tell him.

"I don't know if I'll be in the next World Cup," Messi told Fox Sports Argentina in 2019. "I've got to see if my body holds up. Today I feel great, very well physically, but I'm [almost] 32 years old and I don't know how it's going to go. A lot of things can happen. I hope I don't have any serious injuries."

"I want to finish my career having won something with the Argentine national team, or if not having tried as many times as possible," he added. "I do not want to be left with the feeling that it did not happen and I let opportunities pass by."