Rafael Marquez, a former Barcelona defender, recently reminisced about the time when manager Pep Guardiola reprimanded Lionel Messi to “be quiet” during a training session brawl in a five-a-side match.
Marquez, who played for Barcelona from 2003 to 2010, was teammates with Messi at the time. The altercation occurred when Marquez confronted Messi for hogging the ball.
It was revealed that Guardiola intervened to support Marquez and assert his authority over Messi.
Marquez said, as quoted by The Mirror: “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.’”
