Argentine tactician Pochettino spent one season working with fellow countryman Messi at Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain in 2021-22. He was the man in charge at Parc des Princes when the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner completed a shock switch from Barcelona as a free agent.
Asked to describe some of those that he has coached, Pochettino called Thiago Silva a “leader”, Kane “top scorer”, Neymar a “magician”, Mbappe a “killer” and Messi a “genius”. It was, however, Italian midfielder Marco Verratti that earned his “greatest player” billing.
Euro 2020 winner Verratti made over 400 appearances for PSG between 2012 and 2023. He won two titles alongside all-time great Messi, but is now plying his trade in Qatar for Al-Arabi at 32 years of age – with there still a little under 18 months left to run on his contract there.