Man Utd transfer target reveals strict Lionel Messi training rule during Barcelona days

One Manchester United transfer target has revealed how careful Barcelona players had to be in training when it came to dealing with Lionel Messi.

The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner came through the youth team ranks at Barca and during his time with the Catalan club, won multiple honours as he created his legacy as perhaps the greatest player of all time.

Messi scored an extraordinary 672 goals in 778 games at the Camp Nou side, winning 10 La Liga titles and the Champions League on four occasions.

The forward departed Barca in 2021 and went on to spend two seasons in France with Paris Saint-Germain, before moving to the MLS and Inter Miami this summer.

The 36-year-old had many team-mates during his time at Barca, and Jean-Claire Todibo was one of those.

The defender joined Barca from French side Toulouse in January 2019, spending a couple of years at the Catalan club and training and playing with the Argentine before leaving for Nice in 2021.

Todibo made only five appearances for Barca in his time there, with his period at the club broken up by loan spells with Schalke, Benfica and Nice, the latter of which he ended up moving to on a permanent basis.

The defender has been rumoured as a transfer target for Manchester United as Erik ten Hag's side eye a potential January swoop for the 23-year-old.

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Todibo has since revealed that there was a strict rule in place for Barca players when it came to training and how they had to approach Messi.

Owing to the quality and importance Messi brought to Barca, Todibo admitted that Barcelona players were not allowed to touch the forward in training to avoid the Argentina international picking up an injury.

Speaking to the Ligue 1 Show 9 (via Mundo Deportivo), Todibo said: "In Barcelona they didn't allow us to touch Messi in training. It sounds crazy, but it's true. We had to be careful.

"It's normal, he's the best, you don't want to hurt him. It was logical."