Former Barcelona assistant coach Angel Cappa has accused Lionel Messi of losing his passion for football.
The 67-year-old Argentine, who worked at Camp Nou under Cesar Luis Menotti in the 1980s, claims that his compatriot's performance in Saturday's 3-2 defeat at home to Valencia offered the clearest evidence yet that the Blaugrana No.10 has fallen out of love with the game.
Cappa felt that Messi seemed slightly more motivated in Wednesday night's Copa del Rey win over Real Sociedad but nevertheless maintains that the 26-year-old attacker is these days a shadow of the player who claimed four successive Ballon d'Or awards.
“To play football you need boundless passion, like Messi had, like the great players like [Diego] Maradona ... any important player in the Primera Division: Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets,” Cappa told La Xarxa.
“You need enormous passion, you need that energy that comes from an absolute love of the game.
"[On Wednesday against Sociedad], he participated [in the game] a little more, but the day they played Valencia, I couldn’t understand how a player could play football so dispassionately.
"And especially him, because if we look at a game of his from three or four years ago, there was that craziness, that passion that he had for playing.
"And I don’t know why or for what reason, but that is coming to an end."
Cappa says, though, that it is obvious that the drive that turned Messi into a superstar of world football is now conspicuous by its absence.
“That love of the game, that passion that makes him go and look for the ball on the left, on the right, in the middle, take players on, beat one, then two ... I see Messi has lost that,” the 67-year-old declared.
"He has extraordinary quality, he’s wonderful and at any moment he can come up with a wonderful play, but it’s as if he has been married for 15 years to football and got bored of it.”
Cappa also suggested that Messi's malaise is merely the result of grander problems at Camp Nou.
“I’m talking about Messi, but Barcelona have also lost that passion," he argued. "Before, you couldn’t miss even a second of the 90 minutes because there was always something.
"Now Barca have the ball, sure, and they do things now and again, but they have also lost that boundless enthusiasm they had before.”
Latest Stories
-
Easter celebration: Ghana AIDS Commission to distribute free condoms in Kwahu
12 mins -
Zeepay secures additional $3m from Verdant Capital Hybrid Fund
19 mins -
Over 70% of power outages were due to planned maintenance works – ECG to PURC
22 mins -
Access Bank partners Horseman Shoes to boost local shoe manufacturing industry
33 mins -
Election 2024: Don’t vote for candidates making empty promises – CDD to Ghanaians
38 mins -
IGP shares Easter safety tips on Adom FM’s ‘Ofie Kwanso’
1 hour -
Ebo Whyte offers fully-funded trip as he unveils new play ‘Dubai or No Sex’
1 hour -
Ancient culture of Anlo Kingdom: Exploring “Torkor Atorlia,” the fifth landing stage’s old ways of punishment
2 hours -
Leaders from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Botswana, Cameroon and Sierra Leone to lead discussions at Africa Finance Corporation’s (AFC) 4th Country & Stakeholder Symposium
2 hours -
Network International Delivers Strong 2023 Revenue growth at 15% y/y and free cashflow growth of 16% y/y
2 hours -
President Akufo-Addo extends Easter Greetings to Ghanaians, urges safe drive
2 hours -
Government pushes for use of more local materials in housing, other infrastructure projects
3 hours -
Dr Bawumia extends Easter greetings to Christians
3 hours -
CAF Confederation Cup: ‘Ghanaians should expect victory against Stade Malien’ – Dreams FC forward Ishmael Dede
3 hours -
CAF Confederation Cup: ‘We want to go there and win’ – Karim Zito on Stade Malian clash
4 hours