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Barcelona’s Lionel Messi has explained how hard it has been to play without fans in the last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, comparing the experience to a training session.
“It’s horrible to play without fans, it’s a very ugly feeling,” Barcelona captain Messi told Marca newspaper on Monday after receiving the “Pichichi“award to the top scorer in La Liga last season.
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“Not seeing anyone in the stadium is like a training session and it is very difficult to get going at the beginning of a match.”
The new normal of empty stadium soccer has certainly taken its toll on Messi and Barça.
The Catalans were La Liga leaders with 11 games to go when last season was interrupted by the pandemic, but they handed over the title to Real Madrid when play resumed in empty stadiums.
They then suffered a humiliating 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League at an empty Estadio da Luz in Lisbon in August.
This season has had its worst start in 33 years and is currently fifth in La Liga, well below the pace of leader Atlético de Madrid, while failing to finish first in its Champions League group for the first time since 2006.
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Meanwhile, the 33-year-old Messi is experiencing his worst individual season since the 2007-08 campaign, scoring just nine goals in all competitions, five of which have been penalties.
“The truth is very ugly and that is why we are seeing such even matches. It is very difficult to win, regardless of who you play against,” added Messi.
“The pandemic has made football change a lot, and for the worse. You can see it in the games, and I hope that everything ends soon and we can bring the fans back to the stadiums and return to normal.
Fans have been absent from top-flight games in Spain since March, but are expected to return from April once a large portion of the population has received vaccinations to protect against the virus.
According to Spanish media, the first match with the fans will be the final of the Copa del Rey postponed last season between Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao, scheduled for April 4.
Source: espn.co.uk
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