I made Barcelona a winning team, not Messi – Samuel Eto’o

Samuel Eto’o, the Cameroonian football legend who spoke to beIN SPORTS, stated that he made Barcelona a winning team, not Messi as many believe.

Though Messi and Eto’o were among the Barcelona squad under Pep Guardiola which lifted the Champions League twice, however, many believe the club’s success at that period was because of Messi’s brilliance.

However, Samuel Eto’o who countered this in an interview stated that he made Barcelona a winning team, not Messi.

He told beIN Sports;

“I’ve said to Guardiola ‘you’ll apologise to me because it’ll be me that will make Barcelona win, not Lionel Messi. It was a situation back then. Messi would come later but you can ask Xavi, Andres Iniesta and all the others.

“That was my era. It was me that made Barca win and Guardiola would ask me for forgiveness.”

The Cameroonian went on to criticise the Manchester City’s boss approach in his time with Barca. He said:

“Pep Guardiola has lived his whole life in Barcelona. Messi would come later but you can ask Xavi, Andres Iniesta and all the others. That was my era. But in the years I spent there, he didn’t understand the squad. He didn’t live the life of our group.”