IT REALLY HAS GOT MESSI
Public spat with Abidal rumbles on amid quit rumours
LIONEL MESSI is set to win Barcelona’s power struggle after his meltdown plunged the club into crisis.
The Barca superstar went public with his anger at sporting director Eric Abidal after a spat which has raised the unthinkable prospect of Messi leaving the Nou Camp.
Ex-Barcelona defender Abidal (below, right) has been called to a meeting with club president Josep Maria Bartomeu (below, left) over the angry fallout – and there would appear to be only one winner.
Messi was incensed by an interview given by Abidal in which he suggested players in the current team were unhappy, and had not been working hard enough under former coach Ernesto Valverde, and that was the reason behind his sacking.
Argentina star Messi, seen by many as the greatest player of all time, is reported to have a clause in his contract allowing him to walk away at the end of the season. And the Catalans clearly fear there is a real danger of Messi leaving in the wake of Abidal’s comments.
Abidal (with Messi in 2011, right) said: “The relationship between the coach and dressing room was always good, but there are things that as an ex-player I can sense. I told the club what I thought and we had to make a decision.”
Messi hit back on Instagram and wrote: “I honestly do not like to do this kind of thing, but I think everyone has to be responsible for their job and take responsibility for their decisions.
“Players for what happens on the field – we are also the first to acknowledge when we don’t play well.
“Those in charge of sporting direction should also face up to their responsibilities and above all take charge of their own decisions.
“Lastly, I think that when you talk about players, you should give names because otherwise you are tainting everyone’s name and feeding rumours that spread and are not true.”
Messi joined Barca in 2001 as a 13-year-old and admitted in the past the closest he has ever come to leaving was in 2013 when he was embroiled in a criminal tax case.
Manchester City were heavily linked with him at the time but Messi opted to stay and the 32-year-old seemed set to remain for life... until this row blew up.
Quique Setien replaced Valverde last month but Barca trail Real Madrid in the title race and are no longer such a dominant force in the Champions League.
Real are also targeting Kylian Mbappe amid doubts over his future at Paris Saint-Germain and the Barcelona crisis could be a defining moment for the club.