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Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal respects Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi for the way he conducts himself off the pitch. The manager said he admires the modesty and humility shown by Messi, who is often regarded as one of the best footballers of all-time.
"Messi proves himself nearly every game," Van Gaal told United's official TV channel: "Despite his immense talent, he remains very modest. I like that in him and I respect Messi a lot."
The Argentine captain suffered a heartbreak on the international stage yet again, after losing 4-1 to Chile in the penalty shootout of the 2015 Copa America final. He was vital to La Albiceleste’s journey to the finals and was named as the Best Player of the tournament. However, the 28-year-old allegedly refused to accept the trophy and the tournament organizers had to remove the trophy from the stage, according to The Telegraph.
The diminutive forward faced a similar situation last year when his team lost 1-0 to Germany in the 2014 World Cup final but was awarded the Golden Ball for his performances in the tournament.
Van Gaal looking forward to meeting former club Barcelona on pre-season tour
Manchester United resumed training on Sunday and are preparing for the pre-season tour, where they will participate in the International Champions Cup. They will play four games in the tournament against the likes of Club America, San Jose Earthquake, FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.
The Red Devils meet Barcelona on the July 25 and Van Gaal, in particular, is excited to meet some old faces on that day. The Dutch coach managed Barcelona on two separate occasions and won two league titles and a Copa del Rey during his tenure at the Catalan club.
"It will be nice to see friends from my time there again, but there are a lot of new players. I have to say that Barcelona still play with some players that I coached, so that is nice to see. But a lot of the staff have also remained there,” he added.
The former Ajax coach further added that he feels proud to have seen players like Iniesta and Xavi, who made their Barcelona debuts under him, play regularly and become important figures for their club.
"Of course, you are always pleased that players who made their debut under you play so many times and for so long for a club. Xavi and Iniesta, in particular, are fine examples, but Victor Valdes as well."
