Former Barcelona defender Rafael Marquez has recalled when then-manager Pep Guardiola told Lionel Messi to "shut up" after a five-a-side bust-up.

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• Marquez played with Messi at Barcelona
• Pair had row in five-a-side match
• Guardiola came to aid of Mexican

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Mexican icon Marquez was at Barca between 2003-10 and played alongside Argentine legend Messi, too. On one occasion, the two came to blows in a practice game, with Marquez not happy at Messi holding onto the ball for too long – rather than shooting. Just when a row was breaking out, manager Guardiola defended the Mexican and put Messi in his place.

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  WHAT RAFAEL MARQUEZ SAID

  He said, as quoted by : "Yes, in a five-a-side game [we clashed]. He was on my team and of course, Messi had the ball. He had the goal to shoot and he didn't shoot. We were losing and we said to him: 'Messi, shoot, Messi, score a goal'. Nothing. Until I got p***ed off and told him: 'Messi, let go of the ball, bro.' So he approached and answered me. Pep arrived and said: 'Messi, shut up. You have to respect Rafa's hierarchy.'"

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Ultimately, this mattered little as Marquez and Messi won a hatful of trophies together at Barcelona. And under Guardiola's management, the Blaugrana, arguably, became one of the greatest teams of all time off the back of winning the 2009 Champions League title. This story also shows Guardiola was not afraid to keep Messi in check.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Marquez has since retired from football and is now an assistant coach for Mexico's national side. Messi, on the other hand, is still going strong at 37 and could feature for Inter Miami away at Atlanta United on November 2.

Tags: Futebol
Category: News