Prior to the pivotal match against Nashville, Gressel was given the responsibility of motivating the team by Messi personally. While he felt deeply honored by this gesture, it also left him somewhat apprehensive.

Recalling the moment on his podcast PLAYER/MANAGER with sports broadcaster Zealand Shannon, Gressel shared Messi’s request: “He [Leo] came up to me and said, in English, ‘You speak to the team.’ I was like yes, okay, sounds good.”

In a display of resourcefulness, Gressel chose to incorporate Messi’s native language into his pep talk on the field, opting to address his teammates in Spanish to motivate them.

Recalling the moment, Gressel shared, “During the match against Nashville, in the second leg, I delivered a message in Spanish. I said, ‘Let’s dominate the first five minutes, and then we’ll secure the win.’ It was brief but impactful. We scored after seven minutes—not exactly five, but I felt satisfied with my pregame speech.”

The camaraderie and confidence exhibited by Messi left a lasting impact on Gressel, underscoring the Argentine’s leadership qualities both on and off the pitch. Gressel expressed, “It was a special moment when he approached me and entrusted me to address the team. Having his faith in me is incredibly gratifying and validates the efforts I’ve made over the past few months to earn his trust.”