Did Pep really invented Messi's false 9?

Actually Pep gets too much credit for this. Messi was born as a false 9. His video from la masia. Same style, same passes, same dribbling, same position


He was even main penalty taker. He made all team built around him even in la masia. But Pep gets credit for building team around Messi and playing Messi as a false 9

Actually if we go deeper even la masia has little impact. 7-8 years old messi in argentina played same way, same style. He was born this way.


He was just out of position as a winger at first years in barca first team. Pep just brought him to his natural position

9 years old Messi - number 10 or false 9, team built around him
15 years old Messi - Number 9 or false 9, team built around him
22 years old Messi - Number 10 or false 9, team built around him

Playing Messi as a false 9 and building team around him is Messi's talent not Pep's invention. Messi invented it and played that way since childhood

Would be interesting to read your opinions

I don't think those videos show enough to say Messi invented the position himself. He could have simply ended up in the middle during the parts he has the ball.

Plus there's a big difference between the level of football there and top level football.

Lol False 9 has been around since the 50s.

No one ever claimed he invented the false nine

Yeah but i talk about Messi's false nine not generally. People think it was Pep who made messi false 9 and built the team around him. But it was going to happen with any coach anyway. At first years messi has no power to demand his natural position. After he got power he asked guardiola to play him in his natural position. So it was Messi who made the decision not Pep. He would do it with any coach. Messi made the system and until now they play in this way

Without touching the main point of this assine subject...

You realise the only reason Messi got "the power" to demand his natural position (not how it went)....was because Pep removed Ronaldinho and co, making Messi the de-facto leader?

He removed them because of their attitude. Pep doesnt like egos. It has nothing to do with making messi the leader. Even after them messi was still in wings

Even if you think pep sacrificed them for messi, then it shows the power of messi and how great messi was. It was messi's greatness made pep take this decision. But it doesnt matter the point is messi got the power with his play and success

Pep didnt make messi anything. Messi is same messi since childhood

I think it all came just naturally. Messi had perfected every department, scoring and play making (passing and dribbling) which is what false9 practically is. Pep saw that, and the rest is in the record books.

He never invented the fake number 9, Spalleti used it at Roma before him. He played Totti upfront as a striker.