Messi hails Rijkaard as 'most important' manager of his career

Lionel Messi blossomed into the world's most dominant footballer under the tutelage of Pep Guardiola, but the Argentine credits a different bench boss as being the most influential in his rise to superstardom.

The Barcelona kingpin said Frank Rijkaard, who gave a 17-year-old Messi his debut with the Blaugrana, has been the most important manager of his career.

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"All the coaches I had at first left me things, but I think the most important thing in my career was Rijkaard," the reigning Ballon d'Or winner told Egyptian TV station MBC, as translated by ESPN FC.

"If he had not decided to get me in the first team to train and play, perhaps I had never reached the first team."

Rijkaard led Barcelona to a pair of La Liga crowns along with a Champions League title during his five-year spell in Catalonia, but for Messi, it's the faith the Dutchman showed in him that stands out above all else.

"I always said (Rijkaard) was, for me, a very important person because he trusted me. He made me play in the first team," Messi concluded.