Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Lionel Messi Given Special Schedule to Keep Fit and Fine


Lionel Messi will once again be Barcelona’s leading star player for the 2009/10 campaign and if the club thought the Argentine had a hectic season last term, it could get even worse this time around, reports Goal.com.

All in all, ‘El Mesias’ made 51 competitive club appearances last campaign, scoring 38 goals and providing 18 assists, while he also played a handful of other matches with the Argentine national team, including a gruelling trip to Beijing for the Olympic Games.

For the new season, the Blaugrana will be fighting for six titles in total, which will include a trip to Abu Dhabi in December for the FIFA Club World Cup. And to make sure that the 22-year-old is ready to play another 60 odd games, the club will implement a strict regimen to maintain peak fitness throughout the exhaustive football calendar.

According to Sport, Barca will closely monitor and supervise every expect of Messi’s life from his diet to his rest period to his training regimes as well as issue a long list of guidelines to prevent him from suffering physical and mental burn-outs.

It is also believed that he will have his own physiotherapist, Juanjo Brau, with him at all times, whether he’s in Catalunya or Bueno Aires, to keep him in optimal condition and avoid any niggling muscular injuries.

Barca are also somewhat concerned that Messi will become too obsessed with the Argentine national team, first and foremost to help them qualify for the 2010 World Cup and then to push himself to help the team win the tournament next summer.

But the club are confident that Los Albicelestes, and in particular his coach, Diego Maradona, will play their part to look after ‘Little Lionel’. The Blaugrana had already reportedly sent a note of gratitude to Maradona for collaborating with the Catalan side last season and taking an interest in Messi’s well-being.

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