Former Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard confirmed that Argentine star Lionel Messi deserved to be crowned the World Cup title after a busy career.
Messi led Argentina to achieve the World Cup title for the third time, after defeating France in the final match (4-2) on penalties.
Rijkaard said in statements highlighted by the Catalan newspaper “Sport”: “It is not as if tears were running down my cheeks after the World Cup final, but I was able to cheer like a puppy because Messi did it, he is also unique, right? I was watching the World Cup final Between Argentina and France mainly as a Messi fan. I think he got what he deserved.”
Rijkaard revealed a recent anecdote with Leo that made their relationship closer, and said: “My son Santi really wanted to watch a match in Barcelona. I wasn’t a big fan of stadiums at that moment.”
He added, “We got the tickets through the team representative, Carles Naval, then we attended a training session, and Messi was very nice and friendly. We hugged and took pictures. Of course, this was especially fun for my son.”
He continued, “When I met Messi again after a long time, he made me feel something special. He became the great star who made the entire football world watch with open mouths.”
Rijkaard coached Barcelona from 2003 to 2008, and he was the first to bring Messi to the first team, and he glowed under his leadership, before Pep Guardiola took charge of the team in 2009.
Since his departure from coaching the Saudi national team in 2013, Rijkaard has not returned to lead any other team.
