Many players of Barcelona's top team were yesterday april 27th 2012 in the press conference to announce Guardiola's goodbye. Players like Xavi, Pique, Puyol, Busquets, Valdes and Pedro attended the press conference with clear expressions of sadness in their faces for they kew their much admired coach was to announce his departure.

However, the absence of star Leo Messi stroke many as a sign of distancing or disrespect on behalf of Messi to Guardiola.

This is far from truth. Messi announced in Facebook that the reason for his absence was exclusively emotional. It was too emotional for him to listen to Guardiola's words as Messi feels, in his own words, very much indebted to what he has learned from Guardiola, at a personal and a professional level. In fact it is with Guardiola that the talent of Messi has flourished to become the best player in history.

Messi also said his presence in the press conference room would divert attention from Guardiola to himself, something he did not want to happen.