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Lionel Messi has responded to claims that he is responsible for Antoine Griezmann’s inability to acclimate to life at Barcelona, and the Argentine has claimed that he is fed up with shouldering the blame for failures within the club.
The Blaugrana captain’s response comes after both the French forward’s uncle and his former agent criticized the veteran forward, citing him as the root of all Camp Nou problems.
Messi and Barcelona have endured a stormy relationship over the past year, sparked by the club’s decline in matters both on and off the pitch. The Blaugrana ended the 2019-20 campaign empty-handed in search of cutlery, which ended with a humiliating 8-2 loss to Bayern in the Champions League quarter-finals.
A protracted battle for the forward’s future saw him unable to secure his contract release, leaving him linked to the club for at least one more season, while President Josep Maria Bartomeu and the board of directors resigned at the end of October due to increased dissatisfaction of the fans. .
Meanwhile, manager Ronald Koeman has been unable to restore Barça’s luck at the start of the new campaign, with the team ranked 11th in La Liga, nine points behind the pace of the leader, Real Sociedad.
However, near the center of a new scrutiny is former Atlético de Madrid player and France star Griezmann, who traded in the Spanish capital for the Catalan team in search of greater glories, only to disappoint so far.
The attacker has been defended by both his uncle Emmanuel Lopes and former agent Eric Olhats in recent days, with the duo launching searing attacks on Messi as the cause of their teammate’s struggles.
“[Griezmann] I was convinced that it was not going to be successful in the first six months, but what I did not expect was that it would last a whole year, “said Lopes. The Chiringuito. “Also, with Messi I know what goes on inside [the club] – is not easy.
“Basically, [Messi] he doesn’t work enough at Barça and the training sessions are structured to please certain people, which is fine if you don’t want to work [as hard]. “
The captain of the Albiceleste, upon his return from the international break, delivered a curt reply to the pressing reporters upon his arrival at El Prat airport, with objective confirming that the 33-year-old also had an encounter with a tax inspector seeking documentation beforehand that further irritated the weary star.
“I’m tired of always being everyone’s problem at the club,” Messi told a crowd of journalists. “I arrive here after a 15 hour flight and find a tax agent here, it is ridiculous.”
Messi is expected to take part in Barça’s next game after the international break, and the top-flight Atleti will provide the opportunity for Griezmann to meet his former team again on Saturday.
