Gerardo Martino Quotes

I’m leaving Atlanta the same way I arrived, with great affection for the fans and a mutual respect.

I just want to say that aside from Atlanta United, any national team gives you a little bit more free time. I don’t want to get completely into the analysis. There are different responsibilities compared to clubs and national team.

At the beginning of my career, I wasn’t coaching players like Messi.

It is hard to enjoy life in a national team.

Messi never wants to be subbed off, but it’s my task to take care of him.

I have a profound respect for Juan Carlos Osorio. I think he did an amazing job with the Mexican national team.

I was surprised by how little they knew about me at Barcelona. You can accept that from a supermarket cashier – but not from someone who works in football.

I try not to make comparisons between who I’ve coached. And I haven‘t always coached the best in the world.

My happiest time was with Paraguay. Those were five years in which I managed to find happiness.

We always think that the right thing is to make an effort to have domestic coaches. I don’t think that posture is bad.

My priority is possession. Attack, get a lot of players in the opposition half, take risks.

All I learned in Barcelona was about being surrounded by stars, by the best in the world.

If Messi is in the mix, that’s who I want to win.

What Barcelona almost always do is play a good game, but we don’t always win.

Despite being the greatest, Messi is an ordinary guy. He speaks like a normal guy, he acts like a normal guy. As a normal person, he has family, day-to-day problems in his life, friends and family, the usual.

Mascherano’s impact as a leader is more important inside the squad, and Messi’s leadership is more important in the pitch.

After a big defeat, any player feels affected – it is about how long he needs to recover.

I think it’s very important to have contact with the players that I will coach.

I will always vote for Messi for Golden Ball.

No one would ever take Messi out of a match if the teams are evenly matched. But it can be done in matches where we take a big lead. This way, he can preserve his fitness.

I have the advantage of having worked with Messi and Mascherano at Barcelona.

We have ways to confront the attention that Messi gets. Some teams mark him personally; others get physical and surround him with players.

It’s very important to have a good group of people that get along well, where the people come in to work and do it in a happy way, that they enjoy being at the club.

Messi’s start to 2015 has been unrivalled. His efficiency in front of goal and the amount of goals he has scored cannot be bettered.

I do not like to avoid responsibilities and feel that I am responsible.

I understand that it’s always difficult for a national team to have a foreign manager. It’s a nationalistic question that also flows into football.

I’m very demanding of myself.

If I get a lucky win, it is difficult to sustain that over time, so we have to maintain a style.

I really do not care that Messi isn’t scoring every match. Leo always produces match-changing moments.

We want to play beautiful football; we are committed to that.

Everyone wants to see Neymar and Messi play together.

It’s very special to be the coach of the best player in the world.

I made some monumental mistakes with Barcelona.

If you analyze the German league, the Spanish league, the Italian league, there are two or three teams that stand out above the rest, and the other teams have a regular level.

When you have the chance to finish off your opponent, you must do it. You shouldn’t give them chances to come back.

I’m an admirer of Guardiola’s work.

Messi will continue to break records.

It doesn’t affect my authority if I change my stance on something. If I have to reconsider a decision, I will.

Really, all coaches are accustomed to coaching… normal players.

Am I afraid of Madrid‘s violent play? No, every team plays according to their possibilities, and there’s a referee who should judge.

If I have learned anything from my coaches, it’s that the next game is the most important. The next game is the one that gives you confidence or gets you into trouble.

I didn’t make any mark on Barcelona. It was a blip in my career in terms of what I did as a coach.

I always said in my career as a footballer, I owe everything to Newell’s. But as a coach, I owe everything to Paraguay.

Messi’s career is a cinema script.

Everyone wants to finish a project they start, but in the world of football, you cannot guarantee anything.