Lionel Messi Isn't Ex-Barcelona Coach's Favorite Among Players He Has Trained

Despite winning titles with Lionel Messi during his time at Barcelona, the Argentine is not at the top of Spain coach Luis Enrique's list of favorite players he has ever coached.

After a series of dramatic events, Messi announced on Friday, Sept. 4, that he will stay on at Barcelona. The six-time Ballon d’Or winner revealed that the financial demands involved in his transfer ultimately made it "impossible," leaving him no choice but to continue playing for the club.

Messi was inches away from parting ways with Barcelona this year, a completely different scenario compared to the time when the Catalan club was still managed by Enrique. From 2014 to 2017, Enrique led Barcelona to back-to-back La Liga titles.

At the time, Messi was at the pinnacle of his career and was considered as the greatest player in the history of Barcelona. Still, Enrique doesn't think Messi was the best player he has ever coached. Instead, the 50-year-old coach named Spanish winger Nolito his favorite, Goal reported.

"I'm not a fetishist at all," Enrique said in a news conference ahead of Spain’s UEFA Nations League match against Ukraine. "I will say that I have trained a lot of players, better or worse, but that I have tried to make them better. If I had to say one, I would say that I trained Nolito. I had a wonderful time. He left Second Division with me and he's a very funny guy."

Though Enrique was hesitant to discuss Messi’s situation, he stressed that "clubs are always above all."

"I don't know whether to pronounce on Messi, but I'm going to do it," he said. "I think the clubs are above all people, players and presidents. Barcelona, ​​founded in 1899, is one of the best in the world. They have always won titles."

The former Barca coach acknowledged Messi’s undeniable contribution to the club’s legacy. However, Enrique is certain that with or without "Leo," Barcelona can carry on and will continue to win titles. Messi, meanwhile, will still be adored by his fans and will go down as one of the all-time greats.

"Leo has made Barca grow exponentially but I would have liked it if a much more friendly agreement had been reached," he added. "Sooner or later, Messi will stop playing at Barca. Barcelona will continue to win titles without Messi and Messi will continue to be a wonderful footballer."