"I don’t like doing these things" - When Lionel Messi fired back at Barcelona Sporting Director for comments on players
Lionel Messi once slammed former Barcelona sporting director Eric Abidal for his criticism of players. The incident occurred in February 2020, in the aftermath of Ernesto Valverde's sacking.
The Spanish manager was sacked in January that year and Abidal later laid the blame on the players for Valverde's dismissal. Abidal insisted that the Barcelona players wanted Valverde to leave and had not worked hard enough under him. His comments infuriated the Argentinean, who responded swiftly via social media.
Lionel Messi shared a picture of Abidal's interview on social media and accused the Frenchman of tarnishing the squad's image.
“Honestly, I don’t like doing these things but I think that everyone has to be responsible for his acts and take responsibility for their own decisions. The players [are responsible for] what happens on the pitch, and we have been the first to recognise when we were not good," wrote Messi via The Guardian.
He continued:
"The people in the sporting directorate should also assume their responsibility and above all take ownership of the decisions they make. Finally, I think that when players are talked about, names should be given because, if not, we are all being dirtied and it feeds comments that are made and are not true.”
It was a tense time in Barcelona under former president Josep Maria Bartomeu. The situation was compounded by the fact that La Pulga had a clause in his contract that allowed him to leave that summer. While Lionel Messi ended up staying that summer, he eventually left a year later.
How many trophies has Lionel Messi won since leaving Barcelona?
Lionel Messi left Barcelona in the summer of 2021 as a free agent after the club failed to extend his stay. Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) snooped in and secured his services.
La Pulga spent two seasons at the Parc des Princes, winning two league titles and one Trophee des Champions. The 37-year-old left the Ligue 1 champions in the summer of 2023, once again as a free agent, and moved to Inter Miami.
He won the Leagues Cup last season with the Herons and guided them to the Supporters' Shield this year. The diminutive magician also enjoyed tremendous success with Argentina since leaving Barcelona.
He won the Finalissima, the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and his second Copa America title this year. Since leaving the Catalans, Messi has won eight trophies for club and country combined.
