Fabio Capello on Lionel Messi: 'Despite all the kicks he gets, he never dives'

Despite two stints as manager of Real Madrid, Fabio Capello is a massive supporter of Lionel Messi.

In fact, Capello is such a fan of the Argentine phenom that, in conversation with Spanish radio on Wednesday night, he admitted that he attempted to sign Messi during his time in charge at Juventus between 2004 and 2006.

It would be hard to find a single manager who doesn't want Messi in their squad, but it appears that one of the major reasons for Capello's love of the Barcelona superstar is that he always stays on his feet, unlike some of his teammates at the Catalan club.

"Neymar is a great player but I can't stand players who throw themselves to the floor every time they are touched," Capello said, according to AS. "Pepe does the same thing. When they are winning and they get touched they go down. I don't like that. I like the spirit of games in England: running, fighting and not going down on the floor. As the English say: 'No diving.' 

"Messi, on the other hand, despite all the kicks he gets, never dives. He is a player that I adore."

Supporting Capello's claim are a number of YouTube videos, including this one which was uploaded over two years ago.