@FootynewsThe detail from IVAN RAKITIĆ's story that stuck with me is how the roles reversed. Jose Mourinho, who had spent years doing everything possible to stop Lionel Messi, even while Messi was injured, ended up hugging him in 2017 and telling him he didn't want him to age, begging him to stay young. The man kept me up all night thinking about how to stop him, Mourinho confessed to his assistant, and I never found the solution. He is the best at what he does; he is extraordinary. But yesterday I slept peacefully because I knew that today I wouldn't find a way to stop him... Although, well, today is a friendly! There was laughter as Rakitić told it. Messi wanted to know what playing in the Premier League was like. Mourinho's answer: Don't go to the Premier League until I leave. You can play wherever you want. You are Messi. What surprised Rakitić was hearing that many compliments from a coach who had tried every method to contain Messi, even when Messi wasn't fully fit. But the respect and affection came the only way Messi knows how to earn them, by performing without making noise and doing his talking on the field.

@FootynewsThe detail from IVAN RAKITIĆ's story that stuck with me is how the roles reversed. Jose Mourinho, who had spent years doing everything possible to stop Lionel Messi, even while Messi was injured, ended up hugging him in 2017 and telling him he didn't want him to age, begging him to stay young. The man kept me up all night thinking about how to stop him, Mourinho confessed to his assistant, and I never found the solution. He is the best at what he does; he is extraordinary. But yesterday I slept peacefully because I knew that today I wouldn't find a way to stop him... Although, well, today is a friendly! There was laughter as Rakitić told it. Messi wanted to know what playing in the Premier League was like. Mourinho's answer: Don't go to the Premier League until I leave. You can play wherever you want. You are Messi. What surprised Rakitić was hearing that many compliments from a coach who had tried every method to contain Messi, even when Messi wasn't fully fit. But the respect and affection came the only way Messi knows how to earn them, by performing without making noise and doing his talking on the field.