"Messi is not perfect, he can't cross the ball": Hearts coach Aboubakar Ouattara

• Hearts of Oak coach Aboubakar Ouattara met the Ghanaian media in Accra ahead of the new season
• The Ivorian coach defender his players, sighting Lionel Messi as an example of players not being perfect
• The former Ghana Premier League champions are preparing for the new season after a tough campaign

Head coach of Ghanaian giants, Accra Hearts of Oak, Aboubakar Ouattara has pointed out that legendary footballer Lionel Messi has weaknesses in his game.

The Argentina forward is arguably the greatest player of all time following a career decorated with numerous titles and individual accolades.

Messi recently added to his tall list of accomplishments after leading Argentina to another Copa America triumph.

Hearts of Oak coach Aboubakar Ouattara insists Lionel Messi is not a perfect player. Photo: Megan Briggs/ Twitter: @StarTimesGH.
Source: UGC

However, Ouattara, who was speaking to the media about his Hearts of Oak team in defence of the qualities of his players claimed even Messi is not perfect.

He said, as quoted by Ghana Soccernet: "There is no player who is 100% perfect. If you know one mention his name and I’ll tell you one thing he can’t do, including Messi, have you seen Messi cross the ball before? Everyone has their mistakes."

The Ivorian gaffer has come under a lot of pressure following a disappointing campaign last season as the Phobians finished the season in 14th place, only surviving the drop on the final day.

Hearts of Oak were beaten by sworn rivals Asante Kotoko on July 17, 2024, in the maiden edition of the Democracy Cup, as reported by My Joy Online.

Ouattara eyes positive campaign

The Hearts of Oak gaffer is preparing his team for the upcoming season with hopes of returning the club to its glory days.

The former African champions are hoping to wrestle the title back from holders FC Samartex.

"We're starting to get a team," he told reporters in Accra on Thursday. "We want to have a good team for next season and play well for the fans. We don’t want to struggle and be close to the relegation zone. We want to do better than last season."

Messi picks 2024 Ballon d'Or contenders

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Messi has named Vinicius and Kylian Mbappe among the frontrunners for the 2024 Ballon d’Or award but has excluded Jude Bellingham from the race.

The England midfielder, who had a stellar debut season with Real Madrid, is expected to provide stiff competition to whoever is in the running for the prize.

The Ballon d’Or, which both Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi have largely dominated over the last decade, saw the Argentina captain add another to his record-extending accolade following his triumph at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Source: YEN.com.gh