Former French winger has shed some light on his former boss Pep Guardiola’s tactics, who claimed that Guardiola implemented a sex rule in Barcelona that helped prevent Lionel Messi from getting injured.
Pep Guardiola is the President of Messi FC❤️ pic.twitter.com/6nlCIbkWY6
— Factos🏴 (@Rich_Liviing) April 26, 2023
In Messi’s early career, there have been concerns of his fitness in the Camp Nou. Given his smaller physical appearance, it was a dormant fear whether he would be able to compete at a professional level.
Messi’s innate skills often led him to being aggressively challenged on the pitch, which led to him picking up knocks and injuries quite often. To prevent that, Guardiola had implemented a unique rule – no sexual activity past midnight.
Apparently, his strategy was a success. As revealed by Samir Nasri, Pep implemented the same to his Manchester City squad, revealing that it helped the seven times Ballon d’Or winner from sustaining injuries.
In an interview with L’Equipe, Nasri said: “On a day off, Guardiola told us that anyone who wanted to have sexual relations should do so before midnight because they need to have a good night’s sleep. He says he did it with Messi and since then he hasn’t had a muscle injury.”
The former Arsenal and Manchester City winger played under Guardiola during his time in Manchester City, after the manager took over the Cityzens in 2016. Nasri was a regular player of Guardiola’s squad in the 2015-2016 season, before he was loaned out to Sevilla.
Guardiola has denied the claims about Lionel Messi
Pep Guardiola has refuted the allegations, and addressed the widespread interest in his unconventional regulations by sharing his perspective on the secretive proceedings.
“It’s impossible to play good football if you don’t have sex with your partner,” he said. “I would never forbid that. If you’re doing it, you play better.”
Pep Guardiola saw avid success during his time in Barcelona, winning the sextuple in the 2009-10 season. Messi established himself as one of the best players under his reign, and still thinks highly of his former manager.
