Barcelona Manager Xavi Recalls Sharing Hotel Room With Very Shy Lionel Messi During Tour of Japan

• Lionel Messi signed for Barcelona when he was a youngster but was very shy and hardly spoke
• Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez has shared a funny story about when he and Messi shared a hotel room together
• Cesc Fabregas was impressed by Lionel Messi as a youngster but also described him as being very shy

Lionel Messi is undeniably one of the most popular players of all time and is beloved worldwide.

But as some players have since recalled, Messi was once a very shy teenager who hardly spoke.

As reported by the Mirror, former teammate Cesc Fabregas recalled his first meeting with Messi at the club. The duo were both a part of the famed La Masia academy. Fabregas also touched on how shy and quiet the young Argentinian was.

Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez has now also recalled an incident highlighting Messi's shyness. Xavi explained that Barcelona were touring Japan in 2005 and he had to share a room with a young Messi, Sportskeeda reported.

Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo: Popular British rapper Stormzy names his five a side team

Football

"Leo was extremely shy. We once shared a room in Japan and he didn't say a single word. He was that shy. Because I shared a room with him, he trusted me."

Xavi added that they realised they would have to take it step by step with the youngster, but many of the big stars realised they could learn from Messi as well.

Messi and Xavi were an integral part of Barcelona’s golden generation. They played 399 matches together, winning four UEFA Champions League titles and La Liga seven times.

Fàbregas describes meeting Lionel Messi

Messi went from a shy youngster who didn’t talk much to one of the greatest footballers of all time.

That’s how Messi’s friend and former teammate Fàbregas describes the rise of the Argentinian superstar, Sports Brief reported.

The duo met when Messi attended his first training session at just 13 years old. Fàbregas and Messi were born a few months apart and became good friends at Barcelona's academy.