Although, Soccer has ever been a mind game apart from being the sport where players use their shaking legs to deceive opponents, but off late, every team and its boss use every kind of trick to bring their star asset in the limelight even if such player has not been in a great form off late. We are talking about Spanish side Barcelona and its peak striker Lionel Messi. Actually, Barca is up to face PSG in the Championship League and when these two heavyweights are going to share the common field, how can media hunks miss the opportunity to dig out the infamous controversies around them. But to everyone’s surprise, Barca’s president Josep Maria Bartomeu answered all the questions before they could grow as controversy about Messi’s recent linkup with the French giant. Answering the skeptical media journalists, he refused to accept they have ever had Messi’s sale in the agenda, perhaps, he said even the wages controversy was media made as there was no dispute about salary to the most recognized forward of contemporary soccer. Notably, few months back Messi differences with senior management came into headlines where Argentine apparently gave an ultimatum to bosses to either revise his contract or he would have to seek another home and when Blaugrana later reviewed his contract with a better pay scale, rumors proved to be correct.
Explaining reasons for Messi’s linkup with PSG, Bartomeu said ahead of their showdown with French side in the CL, he said, “It’s not true. Never have we had this type of discussion about Messi. In April or May I said that we would make radical changes, but with Messi as the leader.
“He’s under contract for the next four years and it won’t be the last with Barca. He’s still young and ambitious. For us, he’s the best player in the history of football. I have no information that Messi might have spoken to PSG. We’re opponents on the pitch but also off it, with regard to sponsors and players.”
Manager Luis Enrique copied his boss statement and added, “I still think (he) is an amazing player, a decisive player. He is scoring and giving assists and also doing things he is perhaps not recognised for so much, like pressing and defending. He is the number one in the world in many different aspects of the game. I prioritise winning, but you have to wait and see what happens. To win here we will need to play well, to be focused in many aspects.”