“Haven’t Forgotten You”- Lionel Messi Remembers Tito Vilanova on His Death Anniversary

“You should never get nervous about anything. What today seems important tomorrow isn’t so anymore.” Some words of wisdom from none other than the lips of Tito Vilanova, a revered figure in FC Barcelona’s illustrious history. Though no longer present among us, his legacy is held dear by those who remember the legendary coach fondly. On the anniversary of his passing, Vilanova’s former disciple Lionel Messi also walked down memory lane to pay homage to the lasting influence of his former mentor.

April 25 is a special date for Blaugranas, marking the death anniversary of Vilanova. Messi, who had the privilege to play under the former Spaniard coach, took to his Instagram to express his thoughts on his decade anniversary. He posted a story that had an old picture of him alongside Vilanova. Aside from this, he wrote a caption saying, “10 años ya, no te olvidamos Tito.” As translated by DeepL, he wrote, “10 years now, we have not forgotten you Tito.” 

Notably, Messi had a great relationship with Tito and spent cherishable moments with the former RCD Mallorca star. La Pulga first played under him during La Masia days for the U-16s alongside former teammates, Gerard Pique and Cesc Fabregas. Sadly, Tito had left the world at 45 in 2014. Back in 2011, he was diagnosed with cancer and was forced to step down as a manager in 2013, after his illness further worsened. Remarkably, he was working as one of Pep Guardiola’s assistant coaches. 

However, Tito took charge of the Catalans after Guardiola left. In fact, in his only season managing Barca, he led them to win the league with a historic 100 points, with Messi also scoring a record 91 goals in a calendar year. Hence, in paying hearty tribute to Tito, Leo certainly wasn’t alone. 

Inter Miami teammate and Barcelona legends also join Lionel Messi to remember Tito Vilanova

Ex-Barcelona and Inter Miami left-back Jordi Alba shared a picture alongside Tito Vilanova on his story, captioning it, “10 años sin ti, Tito…Pero nunca dejarás de ser eterno,” which translates to “10 years without you, Tito…But you will never cease to be eternal.” Similarly, legendary Barcelona center-back Carlos Puyol reshared an image posted by the Catalans on his story and added a red heart emoji.

At the same time, Andres Iniesta also posted a picture alongside Tito on a story and wrote, “Diez años en nuestro recuerdo,” which translates to “10 years in our memory.” Clearly, Vilanova remains a prominent figure in Barcelona’s history, destined to be remembered for generations. The impact he had on the La Liga giants is ineffable to the club’s faithful, especially to Lionel Messi and his other former Barcelona teammates.