The two men met for the first time at Barça, during the 2013-2014 season, one of the few finished without a trophy by Messi in Catalonia.
Andoni Zubizarreta, who was then the sporting director of Barcelona, told in 2020 in El Pais an anecdote revealing the power imbalance that then existed between Messi and his coach.
"When Martino was at Barça, he said to Leo: + I know that if you call the president, he kicks me out. But, damn it, you don't have to make me feel it every day +".
This Barcelona season had been difficult, with a defeat in the King's Cup final against Real Madrid, an elimination from the quarter-finals of the Champions League against Atlético Madrid and a second place in the league.
La Liga was played out on the last day with a "final" at Camp Nou between Barça and Atlético.
A success and the Catalans were champions, but they were held in check (1-1) and Martino announced his resignation at the end of the match and a season without a title, apart from the Supercopa de España.
Messi and Martino then found themselves in selection, just after the Albiceleste lost the World Cup final against Germany in 2014, under the direction of Alejandro Sabella.
Two lost finals
Once again, the Messi-Martino duo failed to win, with the selection being beaten twice in the Copa America final, in 2015 and 2016, each time by Chile.
Argentine coach of Mexico Gerardo "Tata" Martino in Doha on November 21, 2022 Alfredo ESTRELLA AFP
After this second consecutive failure, Messi, exhausted by the pressure and an unbreathable climate in Argentina, announced that he was retiring from international football, a decision he reversed a few months later.
After leaving Albiceleste, "Tata" Martino for his part took the road to MLS, the North American championship, for a few years, of which he was champion in 2018 with Atlanta.
He then joined the Mexican team in January 2019. Immediate success in the Gold Cup in 2019 was not enough to alleviate the enormous pressure on his shoulders, as on those of all El Tri coaches.
He is thus the target of regular criticism, in particular from the Mexican legend Hugo Sanchez, who reproached him several times for not being Mexican and accused him of having accepted this position only for the money.
But on Saturday in Lusail, the stadium where the final of the Qatari tournament will be held on December 18, the Argentines could also have something to blame him for: if Martino and Mexico win, Argentina and Messi will be eliminated from the World Cup.
© 2022 AFP