Lionel Messi is a superstar and it would not be surprising that the Barcelona captain enjoys certain privileges, like the freedom to say what he feels on certain issues. That might be the case, but according to a former teammate of the Argentine, Messi's power is not as extensive as some would imagine.
Brazilian forward Malcom said Messi acts as a leader for the Barcelona roster but he never threw his weight around. It might be true that the six-time Ballon d'Or winner is regarded with high respect by players and the Barcelona board but Messi's influence is confined in the dressing room.
The perception that it is the Little Magician who runs Barcelona's affairs is untrue, said Malcom, who played one season with the Argentine at Camp Nou.
"The dressing room doesn't have that much power. Leo doesn't act as president. He speaks only as the captain of the squad," The Sun reported the former Barca player as saying.
Malcom made his comments following the recent spats that Messi had with Barca officials. In all his actions that saw him criticizing club executives, it was apparent that Messi's chief concern was to fight for the welfare of his co-players.
His latest tussle with the Barca board was when the club asked for players to agree on a 70 percent pay cut, which Messi and his teammates have agreed upon but after days of negotiation.
In a statement, Messi hit out at certain members of the board whom he accused of pressuring and putting Barca players "under the magnifying glass" so they will be forced to approve a deal.
Malcom said he expects his former teammate to continue with his ways in leading the Barca roster and predicted: "I think he'll play until he's 40."
In terms of making sure that Barcelona will remain a championship-caliber squad, Messi has no qualms in recommending signings that he believes will serve the Catalan side well. One name that the Argentine wants Barca to recruit is Lautaro Martinez, a teammate in Argentina's national squad.
And Barcelona will do well bringing the 22-year-old striker from Inter Milan, according to Fabio Radaelli, who used to coach Martinez. Even at a young age, Radaelli said his former ward is already one of the world's best and moving from Italy to Spain will only benefit the striker's career.
"We're talking about an elite player that, although he may look like [Sergio] Aguero when he's driving with the ball, Lautaro has the advantage over him with his aerial game," Goal reported the coach as saying.
Radaelli said a move to Barcelona will introduce Martinez to a host of challenges like proving he can take the place of Luis Suarez and meeting the expectations of Messi. In both cases, the Inter ace will only his football game leveling up.
