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Just the mere action of insinuating that Leo Messi is the one who hand picks the players who accompany him to play for Argentina, is something that gets every manager really pissed about. Leo has always been keen on giving his opinion to every single manager that chooses the players, they sometimes listen to him in order to make him feel more comfortable. But saying he is the one who makes the last decision is something that just doesn't happen.
Even in Barcelona they say he does that and Spanish manager Luis Enrique has managed to debunk that theory in the last couple of seasons. He went to war with Leo about many things both didn't agree on, now it's clear that Messi is the star of the team but he in no way decides who plays and who doesn't. The press from Argentina is invested in saying that Leo only picks his friends to play for Argentina, since they are not performing well, it's natural all of them are under fire right now.
The manager takes this as a complete lack of respect against him from all the journalists in Argentina that support this theory. Talking to Radio Rivadavia, Edgardo Bauza said: "Messi is the easiest player to coach. It is so easy to have him because he always tries to make the team work well. One can often become a prisoner of their words, but I can't imagine Mascherano playing at the center of defense. Maybe if we need to in certain games but there's no doubt that he's a major player."
Photo credit: Seleccion Argentina
