Former FC Barcelona boss Quique Setien decided to express his thoughts on Lionel Messi, post his unsuccessful run at the club.

According to a report by ESPN, Setien spoke to El Pais newpaper and shared his experiences with Messi.

“It’s true that there are players that are not easy to manage, among them, Leo [Messi],” Setien told the newspaper. “It’s difficult when someone is accustomed to winning.

“And when inside him, it generates an anxiety when you don’t achieve that [win], it harms you. The demand that exists today in football is brutal, it has saturated him and others that need to permanently win.

“We also have to take into account that he is the best footballer of all time. How am I going to change him? If there [at Barca] they have accepted him for who he is for many years and they haven’t changed him.”

He added: “There’s another facet beyond just the player and it’s more difficult to manage. Much more difficult. It’s something inherent in many athletes that can be seen in the Michael Jordan documentary [The Last Dance]. You see things you don’t expect.

“He [Messi] is very reserved and only shows you the things that he wants you to see. He doesn’t speak much.”

Setien also revealed that he believes it would have been better if he made decisions with the club as a whole, rather than focusing on individual players.

“After leaving what I am clear on is that at certain times I should have made other decisions, but there’s something above you: the club.

“And it is above the president, the player, the coach. It’s the club and the fans. They are the ones to whom you owe the greatest respect, and you have to do what is most convenient for the club as a whole.”

Setien took the coach’s position in January, but was sacked in August following the team’s 8-2 defeat by Bayern Munich in the Champions League.