Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman described former captain Lionel Messi as a "tyrant", and explained how the Argentine star hated losing to his teammates, even in training.

The six-time Ballon d'Or winner left Barcelona this summer to join Paris Saint-Germain, which now allowed Koeman to reveal some of the secrets of the most prominent star who was coaching him.

Lionel Messi - Greatest UCL skills ever pic.twitter.com/PxmPBKNzAp

— SB2 (@SBLM10_2) September 16, 2021

Koeman said in an interview with the Dutch magazine "Voetbal International" that Messi made the difference by making all his Barcelona teammates look better than their level because of his awareness, leadership and technical talent, stressing that he has all the qualities that the coach is looking for in the player, pointing to He was surprised by his dazzling skills when he saw him "up close every day".

"I knew how good he was, but it's still good to see him up close every day," the Dutch coach said of Messi. "All you want to teach a footballer, from recognizing situations, taking the ball under pressure, speed of the ball and finishing the game; with Messi. Everything is 10. Not normal, not normal."

Messi's playmaking in the 18/19 UCL was INSANE.

pic.twitter.com/hPnm9OGvTx

— MC (@CrewsMat10) September 16, 2021

He added that because of Messi's enthusiasm in training, he had never lost except "once."

And within years, "the older players didn't lose any practice against the youngsters. Except this time Messi was so angry and his anger lasted for a week. Really, a tyrant."

When Koeman was appointed coach at Camp Nou last summer, Messi was pressing to leave the club, and the Dutch coach admitted that the first months were difficult to deal with, but the situation quickly improved.

Lionel Messi's Playmaking in 14/15 UCL campaign was insanepic.twitter.com/zrMItVjBAE

— A (@TotaILM10i) September 22, 2021

"When I became Barcelona coach, I had a chat with him at his home in Castelldefels. What struck me immediately was how involved he was and how much he cares about football. The start was tough, he later apologized for that. Messi must have had the idea that there was a future in what he was doing. But He started getting more and more excited."

• Lionel Messi is the greatest goalcorer of all time 🌟 pic.twitter.com/pq9faBBO8X

— Team Leo (@TeamLeo10i) September 17, 2021