Ronald Koeman exposes Lionel Messi’s “test” at Barcelona

Years after Lionel Messi left Barcelona, new stories continue to emerge that shed light on how the dressing room worked during the Argentine star’s final chapter at the club. This time it was Ronald Koeman, who coached the team between 2020 and 2021, revealing a confession that says a lot about Messi’s competitive personality.

According to the Dutch coach in comments reported by ESPN, Messi had a very particular way of evaluating the players around him. It wasn’t an official test, nor something openly discussed, but the message on the pitch was very clear.

“Messi only passed the ball to Pedri. And believe me: if Messi doesn’t value you, he won’t pass you the ball in training. He will simply ignore you,” Koeman revealed.

Messi had his own filter inside the dressing room

For more than a decade, Lionel Messi was the undisputed leader of Barcelona both on and off the pitch. His talent dictated the rhythm of the team, but his trust also became a key factor for many players.

According to Ronald Koeman, the Argentine had something like a “football instinct” that allowed him to quickly identify which teammates understood his game and which ones did not.

In training sessions, that detail became obvious. If a player managed to read Messi’s movements, the ball would start coming their way more often. If not, they were simply left out of the dynamic.

For Koeman, this behavior wasn’t a matter of ego but a reflection of the extremely high standards with which the Argentine lived the game.

“When Messi trusts you, you notice it immediately. But when he doesn’t, you notice that too,” was the clear takeaway from his story.

The young player who earned Messi’s respect in days

What makes the story even more surprising is that the only player who managed to pass that “filter” almost instantly was Pedri, who at the time was just 17 years old.

The Canary Islands midfielder had arrived from Las Palmas, a club playing in Spain’s second division. In fact, the original plan was to send him out on loan so he could gain experience.

However, everything changed within a matter of days.

Koeman recalled that it took only two training sessions for the coaching staff to realize they were looking at a special talent. But the final confirmation came from a much clearer sign.

Messi kept looking for him with passes.

“I saw Lionel Messi constantly trying to connect with him. That’s when I knew we had made the right decision by keeping Pedri at Barcelona,” the Dutch coach explained.

A partnership that defined Messi’s final year at Barça

The connection between Messi and Pedri quickly moved from training sessions to official matches. During the 2020–2021 season, it became one of the most exciting partnerships in the team.

The Argentine found in the young Spaniard a player capable of understanding spaces, moving between the lines, and playing quick one- or two-touch football, something essential for Barcelona’s style.

Although the campaign was turbulent at an institutional level, the duo produced several brilliant moments and ended up winning the Copa del Rey, which would also become Lionel Messi’s final trophy with Barcelona before his departure in August 2021.

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