Checho Batista recounted the details of the relationship between Riquelme and Messi at Beijing 2008: “They were arguing”

The Argentine coach Sergio Battistawho led the Argentine team that won the gold medal in Beijing 2008 Olympic Gamesrevealed that Lionel Messi and Juan Román Riquelme “They were arguing at the time”. He Checho61 years old, he retraced his best moments as a coach with both players on the pitch. “How I loved those Olympics! How well those sons of bitches played! How well they played, I enjoyed it!”he commented in a relaxed interview in ““Turkish Beach”program hosted from the beach by the former footballer Claudio Garciawhich is broadcast on YouTube.

Retracing his consecration in China, Batista also revealed an unknown detail about the relationship at the time between Messi and Riquelme, who today maintain a great bond, to the point that the captain of the Argentine national team attended the farewell match organized by Boca idol, in June 2023, at La Bombonera.

“I saw them arguing. Lionel and Román were arguing at the time. “They were coming from La Mayor and were arguing at the time.”confirmed the coach of the team that won Argentina’s last gold medal in football at the Olympic Games.

And when it was pointed out to him that these differences were not noticeable on the pitch, Batista explained: “Roman is a big piece of shit, that son of a bitch is alive”. And he insists: “Roman and Lionel once didn’t get along, now they do. But seeing those guys play, the truth is, how can that be?”

In closing, regarding the indications he could give to two players in that category, he acknowledged: “I told them the way to play that I wanted and that I liked, and then they played”.

In this competition, Argentina beat Nigeria 1-0 in the final with a goal from Ángel Di María, and achieved its second consecutive gold medal in that discipline, a feat that remains the last until now of Argentina in this sport.