“If I had your talent, I’d be Messi” – Oliver Kahn reveals how he tried to motivate Leroy Sané

Oliver Kahn has revealed how he tried to unlock Leroy Sané’s potential at Bayern Munich.

Former Bayern Munich CEO Oliver Kahn has revealed that he once told Leroy Sané that, with the right mentality, he could have reached the level of Lionel Messi.

During his time at Bayern, Sané was frequently criticised for inconsistency and for not showing the right body language or mentality – and Kahn tried to get the best out of him in a creative way.

“With Leroy, we always had this issue,” Kahn recalled on the Sky show Triple – der Hagedorn-Fussballtalk.

“I told him, ‘If I had your talent, I’d be Messi.’ He just looked at me with big eyes. He didn’t really know what to say. So I told him, just go out and show it,” Kahn explained.

“And that’s what it’s about – reaching a player like that and making him capable of performing.”

Sané, 30, left Bayern on a free transfer last summer to join Galatasaray. He made 223 appearances for the German champions, scoring 61 goals and providing 55 assists.