When Lionel Messi left Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain, Ronald Koeman was in charge. He now supports efforts to bring the Argentine back.
Lionel Messi's potential return to Barcelona has been welcomed by Ronald Koeman, who also thinks the Argentina great is still the best player in the world.
Before Messi made an emotional departure on a free transfer to French powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain, the former Barcelona manager was in charge during Messi's final season with the Catalan club.
The 60-year-old returned to manage the Netherlands national team after Louis van Gaal retired following the World Cup in Qatar. Barca fired the Dutchman in October 2021 due to a poor run of results.
Despite the fact that Koeman himself won't be going back to Barcelona anytime soon, he continues to harbor expectations that Messi will make a passionate return to the team.
At the Koeman Cup, a charity golf and paddle event, he commented, "Messi is the finest player in the world, and when he went it was difficult."
"The squad that has him will be more powerful. It was a very awful day when he left Barca.
"I get hurt if I catch Leo wearing another shirt. He must be there since that is his home. The board's decision to deny him the chance to stay was regrettable, but I support Messi playing for Barcelona."
With just 10 games left in the season, Barcelona is 13 points clear at the top of LaLiga after Xavi, Koeman's replacement, took over when the Dutchman was fired.
Koeman praised the head coach, saying, "With Xavi, they have improved and will undoubtedly win the league."
"This squad has greatly improved. A coach's performance depends on his team. When we are talking about multiple past seasons in which Barca did not win anything, in my opinion, we should celebrate this league in a major way.
"Barca is there for their defense as well as their own quality. They have only given up nine goals, it should be mentioned. If the others have not reached this level, it is their fault. It is deserved.
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