During their time together at Barcelona, former Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure revealed an interesting detail about Lionel Messi’s post-match routine. Unlike his teammates, Messi would opt for massages instead of joining training sessions after games to keep himself fresh for upcoming matches.
Toure, in an interview with GOAL, expressed his surprise at Messi’s choice, recalling how it left himself, Samuel Eto’o, and Thierry Henry puzzled. He remembered their discussions where they questioned why Messi would skip training for massages.
Reflecting on his initial reaction, Toure said, “Actually, in my first year at Barcelona, Messi was a bit like that. We’d finish a game, we’d train. He’s resting [having] a massage.”
The trio of football legends was intrigued by Messi’s unconventional approach, with Toure highlighting their team’s efforts to protect Messi’s fitness given the physical challenges he faced on the field.