Barca Legend Says Messi Has One Foot Out Of The Club

Story By: Juan Mayes, Sub EditorJoseph GolderAgencyGolder’s News And Sport

This Barcelona legend has said Lionel Messi has “one foot out of the club” hinting that “very important things will happen at Barcelona” after the star’s fallout with Eric Abidal.

Former Barcelona winger Francisco Jose Carrasco, 60, more commonly known as ‘Lobo’ (Wolf) made the comments during television programme ‘El Chiringuito de Jugones’ broadcast by Spanish network ‘La Sexta’.

When speaking about the “crisis at Barcelona” Carrasco hinted at Messi’s potential exit from the club saying: “In all the years since I have loved his (Messi’s) style of play which goes beyond club colours, it is the first time I see Messi with one foot out of the club.”

Picture Credit: Golders/La Sexta

Carrasco, who played at Barcelona for 11 seasons, went on to say: “Imagine how he must be feeling on the inside. The guy is 32 years old, he is a father and has responsibilities beyond football and carrying all the weight of having a club like Barcelona on his shoulders.

“It reaches a point when a person has to weigh up their options and see if they are happy or not well. Very important things will happen at Barcelona right now.”

The Barcelona legend explained Messi, 32, “just wants to defend himself” as he “is sick of what they are accusing him” referring to local media “putting him on the bull’s eye” and reporting “he decides who to put on or take off the pitch”.

Carrasco ended by hinting at “the worst times for Barcelona” if the squad does not come together.

The comments come after Barcelona director of football Eric Abidal, 40, received some backlash by the Argentine international for saying “many players were not happy or worked very hard” when speaking about the sacking of the club’s former boss Ernesto Valverde, 55.

Messi responded by saying “everyone should be responsible with their tasks and take responsibility for their decisions” going on to say “when you mention players, you should give names.

“If not we are all being dirtied and it feeds into comments that are being said and are not true.”

Valverde was sacked in January after some disappointing results which eventually saw the club lose top position in La Liga to Real Madrid.

Messi’s contract with Barcelona is up after the 2020-2021 season and he has yet to sign an extension with the Spanish club giants.

Barcelona are second in La Liga with 46 points – three behind Real Madrid. They are set to play Real Betis on Sunday 9th February.

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