![]() ![]() Now entering the final years of his career at the very top, Messi says he is still adapting his game to suit the needs of the team. I’d been playing on the outside for years, and so I knew what that position was about." "I’d never played as a centre forward, but I knew that position because it meant coming through from deep to get forward, without being a static number 9. I remember that we had a lot of possession, and we always had an extra man in the middle of the park. "In fact, one of Henry’s goals was like that. The idea was that Madrid’s centre backs would follow me out, and the two fast wingers that we had would go around the back. "I wasn’t going to stay there, but rather come out and join up with the central midfield. He was going to put Samuel and Thierry Henry on the outside, and I was going to play as the false centre forward. "He had been talking with Tito Vilanova and they had thought about me playing as a false nine. "I remember that it was a surprise for me, because I was called up the day before the game, was made to go to Guardiola’s office at the Ciutat Esportiva, and I was told that he had been watching Madrid’s games a lot, as he did with every opponent. One of the most famous roles played by Messi is the 'false nine', a position introduced by Guardiola ahead of a headline El Clasico date with Real Madrid - and one that sparked plenty of discussion due to the novel nature of the tactic. Later on, I began to be used much more, and it was more common to see inverted wingers." "At that time, we played with Giuly, Samuel Eto’o and Ronaldinho, and then I began to come into the side. "I got used to it quickly actually, because playing on my opposite foot meant I could bring it onto my strong foot when I went inside, and it was easy for me to cut in and have a view of the pitch ahead of me. "I was delighted, because I was playing – and what you want is to play, wherever it is. I had to start off on that side, and I slowly got used to it. "Rijkaard played me on the right, which was a completely new position for me. "The reality is that I didn’t have another choice and I was put onto the right," he said. The choice to do so, however, led to other teams copying the idea. Upon his graduation to the first team, Barca's ranks were bursting with world-class talent, meaning a young Messi was again played out of position for his debut under then-boss Frank Rijkaard. "I was a playmaker used to what I’d been doing since I was little, moving around with a lot of freedom. "When I arrived at Barca we had a 3-4-3 formation, which was tricky for me because I was playing in the upper part of the diamond. "I got to play one or two years of 11-a-side football in Argentina with Newells, and there I played behind the playmaker," Messi told La Liga on DAZN.
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