Ronald Koeman and Lionel Messi’s first meeting since the six-time Ballon d’Or winner decided to stay at Barcelona this season was very positive for everyone involved.
Messi was set to leave the club this summer after becoming disillusioned with life at the Nou Camp but after being told he couldn’t leave for free he relented and has decided to stay this season.
After missing training last week, the forward returned for his first pre-season session on Monday and met with the new manager before joining in.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Koeman told the 33-year-old he was happy for him to be back but warned he only wanted players committed to the club.
The newspaper reports that Messi told the manager he was committed and promised him that he’d return to his best form for the team this season.
Messi did train alone on Monday as he was working on his fitness, having missed the first few sessions of pre
season whilst still trying to make his move happen.
read also: Messi returns to training for the first time
Along with Philippe Coutinho, who was also working on fitness, the Argentina superstar was due to join the rest
of his teammates for a double training session on Tuesday, ahead of the new La Liga season starting this weekend.