“I don’t have any” – Tottenham manager rues ‘luck’, genius player would have brought titles

Mauricio Pochettino is helping out with the launch of MIC 2019.

It’s a yearly youth football tournament, with teams of various ages travelling from around the world to attend.

Held in the Costa Brava, the launch event has been attended by the Spanish sport media, so there’s quotes from the Tottenham manager popping up in various publications.

Catalan newspaper Sport have some quotes from Pochettino about Lionel Messi. The manager is clearly a big fan of his compatriot, and would like to manage him, but that’s going to be very unlikely.

The Tottenham manager has made it clear on repeat occasions that he doesn’t ever see himself managing Barcelona, because of his past as a player and coach with city rivals Espanyol.

“I always say it, Barça has great players and then a genius,” Pochettino said. “The squad are excellent footballers, extraordinary, but Leo appears and does things that nobody expects and continues to surprise, the continuity of so many years, being able to change things. What luck to have seen him, I have not had the luck of having him in my team and winning so many titles… I don’t have any.”

The Argentine said Messi is ‘extraordinary’ and ‘the best in the world’, but added: “It will be difficult for me to train Leo.”

Unless Messi suddenly decides he needs to play for Tottenham soon, or both men end up at another club in the future, or the Spurs boss takes over the Argentina national team before their star retires, then Poch is never going to manage the ‘genius’.

He will hope to put the lack of trophies right, though.